Summer of '69
by bnomiko
Summary: A retelling of KC Grand Prix as it would happen in the Life with Kaibaby and Yamikins ficverse. Seto's chasing his dreams but a new enemy is out to stop him before he can see them come true. ShonenAi. Prideshipping [SetoYami] Stepshipping [NoaMokuba].
1. Prologue 2: Out of the Blue

**IMPORTANT A/N:**  
There is a Prologue 1. It's not on ffnet due to content. So if you want to read it, it's on my site. The link is in my ffnet profile.

Pairing: Seto+Yami, Malik+Ryou, Mai+Jou, Anzu+Yugi, Rafael+Valon+Amelda, Noa+Mokuba  
Warnings: swearing  
Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! is the creation of Kazuki Takahashi. Out of the Blue is a film by Tim Murdoch. This is a not-for-profit fanwork and I do not own any of these characters.

**This is a SHONEN-AI fic (male + male romantic relationship). If you are offended by homosexual relationships, please do not read this. Flames will be disregarded.**

Setup for this fic:   
- Part of the Kai-baby / Yami-kins AU. Chronologically set a little over 5 weeks after All Through the Night.  
- Noa has been brought out of the virtual world, has a new body, and is living with Mokuba and Seto, and Yami has his own body and is separate from Yugi. The how and why isn't important on either of those.  
- "Bakura" throughout this story refers to Ryou Bakura, the hikari, and "Malik" refers to Malik Ishtar, the hikari.  
- Ages of characters: Seto and Yami are 20, Noa is 15, Mokuba is 14.

**

* * *

Summer of '69**

**Prologue 2: Out of the Blue**

* * *

Yugi had to admit, if nothing else, Seto Kaiba really knew how to travel. They were currently somewhere above the Pacific, flying in Kaiba Corp.'s newest and most luxurious corporate jet, on their way to attend the grand opening of the new KaibaLand California. The plane was decked out like a fancy hotel suite, with a lounge area equipped with state-of-the-art electronics, an amazing kitchenette, and even a small bedroom in the back. And best of all, they didn't have to share it with anyone else; Seto had reserved it for their exclusive use.

Money was no object to the young billionaire – everyone knew that. But for him to fly out the entire gang like that, and also offer to take care of any other travel expenses or needs, in essence buying them a week's vacation… that was more than generosity. It was an act of friendship, regardless if Seto actually thought of them as his friends. Yugi had been impressed and even asked Yami about it, partly because he assumed it was something his other half had suggested to his lover, but Yami had proudly informed him that it was all Seto's idea, that he had nothing to do with it.

Yugi smiled to himself. They had all come a long way since high school, back when life revolved around homework and summer vacation and traveling for Duel Monsters tournaments. And boy, some of the things they had done… sneaking onto ships, Seto's Battle City blimp…

_Well, at least this time, we're not going to have to save the world or anything, _Yugi thought to himself as he remembered the time they had flown to America at Pegasus' request and ended up dueling Dartz for the fate of humanity. He could certainly do without ever going through an "adventure" like that again!

_Let's see… Jou and I are in the tournament, but everyone else can pretty much relax and have fun. _And from the looks of things, everyone was having a good time. Jou and Honda were playing Dungeon Dice Monsters, the girls were watching a movie, Sugoroku was snoring away on the sofa next to him, and he could even smell popcorn microwaving in the kitchenette. Yes, everyone seemed to be enjoying the amenities offered… well, everyone except Yami.

Yugi frowned slightly at the former Pharaoh seated across from him. He almost looked like he had fallen asleep again, except his brow was still wrinkled in concentration. He was giving himself one hell of a headache, but still wasn't getting the results he wanted. Yugi was a little worried even though he knew that there wasn't anything physically wrong with the crimson-eyed man. Yami was just missing his boyfriend terribly, and had been trying to strengthen their mind link for hours now. Like everyone else, he had been pretty excited at the start of the flight, but as they began drawing closer to California, he had become more and more withdrawn as he threw himself into his task. It was exhausting him to the point where he would fall asleep for 15 or 30 minutes before waking up to resume working on the link. Yugi had offered his assistance, thinking that perhaps he could help Yami extend his range or something, but Yami had mumbled something about not wanting to drain him, and then had gone right back to what he'd been doing.

Noa wandered over with a glass of water and some aspirin, setting them both on the table within Yami's reach. He'd been fussing over Yami on and off even though Yugi had been sitting there the whole while. The violet-eyed man wondered if something had happened between them that had brought the two of them closer; it had to be more than just Yami's pending guardianship appointment that had done it. Maybe it had something to do with that whole mess with Noa and Mokuba dating, but without knowing the details, he couldn't be sure. When he had asked about it, Yami had told him the problem had been resolved, but that was it. Curiosity made Yugi want to find out more, but he let the matter drop because it wasn't really his business.

To tell the truth, it felt a little weird thinking of Yami as a parent, or more accurately, as someone in a parental role. Especially since Yami had just barely turned 20 and his charges were both in high school already, and taller than him to boot. Yugi shook his head. He supposed he was overreacting a bit; he didn't doubt Yami's ability to parent, and it really wasn't a big deal considering Yami had once been the ruler of an entire nation, but… well, he just couldn't imagine being a dad himself. At least, not yet. But it was in Yami's nature to respond to the needs of those around him, so it really hadn't taken him long to not only embrace his new role, but to develop a genuine affection for the two teens as well. And seeing Noa now draping a blanket over Yami's now sleeping form, Yugi had to believe that the brothers felt the same in return.

Once he was satisfied that he had done his part to see to Yami's well being, Noa walked off again, leaving Yugi alone with his wandering thoughts, as well as two dozing family members. That was fine though. Yugi wasn't sitting there because he wanted to chat… he just wanted to keep an eye on Yami in case he awoke again, though considering how worn out the ex-spirit was, perhaps he would stay asleep a little longer this time, maybe 45 minutes, or an hour. Maybe by the time he awoke, they'd be landing at LAX. But that was probably too much to ask for. They were still four, maybe five hours away from the airport.

* * *

The flight did end up taking a little longer than expected, but much to Yugi's relief, Yami did manage to get some much needed rest. So by the time the plane touched down on the runway, Yami was awake and practically vibrating in his seat in anticipation of reuniting with Seto. And his mood was contagious; everyone began chattering in excitement, eager to disembark and see the sights. They went through customs as quickly as possible, retrieved their luggage, and met up with a few of Seto's security officers who informed them that transportation had been provided and was waiting for them outside.

At first, Yugi was a little surprised that Seto didn't show up in person to greet them. He didn't think the young billionaire could stand being apart from Yami for even a moment more than necessary. But the airport was noisy and crowded. And there seemed to be journalists everywhere, thrusting microphones in their faces and snapping tons of pictures of them. No wonder Seto had chosen to stay outside, away from the prying cameras. He knew that the theme park opening and accompanying tournament were the hot news topic of the week, and he didn't want to get caught in the media frenzy that his company had instigated.

At least Seto had thought of sending in his security team to help them get through the airport. But they could only do so much. And the reporters were getting a lot pushier. So by the time they reached the exit, Yami was about to lose his temper over the constant stream of stupid questions being directed towards him, or more specifically, the questions regarding Seto that were being directed at him. It was getting way out of hand.

Not wanting the irritated former Pharaoh to send dozens of reporters to the Shadow Realm, even if they did deserve it, Yugi latched onto Yami's arm and tried to feed him plenty of reassurance. They were almost outside, he told his other half. Seto was outside. They'd be together again in a matter of minutes. He kept repeating these things, squeezing Yami's arm, reminding him he was there. But Yami seemed distracted and remained tense and upset, and that's when Yugi finally realized that there was a limit to what he could do because it wasn't really Yami's mood that he was dealing with, it was Seto's. Yami was just so deeply intertwined with his lover that Seto's emotional state had saturated his own. And until they were finally together again, neither one of them would feel better. Chagrined, Yugi pulled back from Yami's mind a little. He felt as if he were spying on them.

A sudden bright burst of light and hot summer air greeted the group upon their arrival at the terminal's exit. Tinted glass doors slid open to reveal even more people, and cars of all shapes and sizes as far as the eye could see. The security team lead the gang towards the right, where a silver party bus and a dark blue limousine sat at the curb, awaiting their arrival. Yugi knew that the bus would take him and his friends to the new KaibaLand Hotel since Seto had reserved an entire block of suites for them, so the limo was most likely there to take Yami and the Kaibas to their vacation home. And sitting inside the limousine, he could just make out the faintest outline of a very anxious young CEO as he watched their approach like a hawk.

The tension was almost palpable; while the remainder of the group hustled towards the bus and began boarding it, Yami broke away and eagerly made a beeline for the limo with Noa and Mokuba close behind. Yugi stopped on the sidewalk to watch Isono get out of the driver's seat and meet them at the door, opening it so that the trio could squeeze in and finally find safe haven from the irksome journalists. It was only then that finally, he felt Yami's anxiety melt away, replaced by an overwhelming sense of relief and happiness. Yugi knew some of that relief that he felt was his own… he'd been worried about his other half. But now, he knew things would be okay. Yami would be taken care of. Seto would see to that.

Secure in that knowledge and comforted by the reassurance it brought, Yugi finally hefted his backpack on his shoulder, smiled, and stepped aboard the bus. He was looking forward to this new adventure now that things were as they should be.

* * *

"God, I missed you…" Seto murmured, squeezing his brothers a little tighter than necessary.

They were all in the limo now… his whole family. And from the moment that door shut, all he could think about was grabbing onto them, as if he couldn't believe that they were really there unless he was touching them. Considering how tired he was and the many times he dreamt about seeing his brothers and Yami again, only to wake and find out it was a dream… physical confirmation wasn't a bad idea.

After a long minute, Seto reluctantly let his brothers go. Noa moved to the back seat and sat down, studying him carefully, but Mokuba continued to lean on Seto, not wanting to let go, not yet. The black-haired teen was just so happy to see his big brother, but he was a little worried as well. Seto had lost weight, and he looked pale and a bit disheveled. Mokuba almost wondered if Seto would collapse if he wasn't holding him up. That frightened him.

But then, just as Seto began gently ruffling his hair, Mokuba heard a soft sigh to his left, and he turned just enough to see Yami settling down on the edge of the seat, a patient expression on his face. And he suddenly felt bad for hogging his brother's attention. Yami had to miss Seto so badly, and yet he hadn't made a move towards him and probably wouldn't as long as Mokuba was there in his arms. So a bit reluctantly, the youngest Kaiba gave his brother a final squeeze and ducked out from under his hand to join Noa on the back seat. There'd be plenty of time to talk and catch up later. Besides, Yami would make sure Seto ate and slept and got whatever else he needed, so it was okay to entrust Seto's care to the ex-spirit.

As soon as Mokuba had relocated himself, Seto looked over at Yami, and a hesitant smile slowly spread across his face. Yami gave him a lopsided grin in return, and then… it was as if whatever restraint they had suddenly dissolved. They were on each other like cats on cream, kissing with such heated passion that Mokuba and Noa began wondering if they'd get it on right then and there, clothes be damned.

"Um… Nii-sama?" Mokuba began as Yami pushed Seto down on the seat, awkwardly straddling him. They had their hands all over each other. Yami was already starting to grind down on Seto's thigh, eliciting a soft groan from Seto when he finally managed to suck in a breath of air. "Hi? Yami? Helloooo…"

"I don't want to watch them have sex," Noa whispered with a slight whine. Damn, they had just pulled away from the curb a few seconds ago!

"Well, duh!" Mokuba retorted, then he cleared his throat and raised his voice noticibly. "OR… we can just stay here and get our sex education first hand. Yes, I think that's a GOOD IDEA!"

Seto turned his head away from his boyfriend for a moment. "Huh? What's a good idea?"

"Us not sitting back here," Noa muttered.

Relieved to have gotten his brother's attention, Mokuba nodded and added, "We're going to sit in the front with Isono, okay?"

Seto began to sit up, pushing Yami off. "Why?"

"Um, maybe because you're trying to get laid?" Mokuba returned, already heading towards the control panel to inform Isono of the change in seating arrangements.

"We're not," Seto answered. Yami looked really disappointed upon hearing that, but didn't protest and even helped his lover sit back up, though he kept his hand on the back of the brunette's neck, massaging the strained muscles there.

Mokuba frowned. It wasn't the result he was expecting. He didn't want his brother to think that they were moving to the front because they _had_ to, because despite all their jokes, they really wanted to give Seto and Yami some much needed time together, in private. Well, semi-private. "Nii-sama, it's okay. Really. We don't mind at all."

"Besides, you'll have plenty of time to spend with us later now that we're over here," Noa threw in. As bad as it would've been being stuck in the back while Seto and Yami did the deed, it'd be just as bad if they didn't get laid and got all cranky and frustrated instead.

Seto seemed to be wavering. His heart was telling him one thing, his penis, another. So he turned to Mokuba.

"You guys need some time alone," the youngest Kaiba told him decisively.

Seto bowed his head, silently giving the teens the go ahead. He didn't make a sound while Mokuba spoke to Isono, and when the car stopped at a red light and the younger pair quickly hopped out to get into the front seat, he just leaned back into Yami's hand, and closed his eyes until the vehicle began moving again.

Instead of jumping his boyfriend again, the crimson-eyed man began stroking Seto's cheek with his thumb. He'd noticed it earlier… had seen the signs even during their web conferencing sessions, but to now confirm it with his own hands… Seto was obviously overworked and close to collapse. He had lost weight. He had bags under his eyes, and his pale skin was even whiter than before. Every muscle in his body was knotted from stress.

Yami's audible sigh broke the silence. _Baby, I wish you'd take better care of yourself._

_I'm fine,_ Seto automatically answered, but without much conviction.

_No, you're not. I didn't want to worry the boys, but…_ and then he began to push the taller man back down onto the leather seats, though more gently this time, _you're absolutely worn out. You need rest. I'm surprised you're still awake._

Blue eyes slid shut. _Hn._

A melancholy smile crossed Yami's face as he began unbuttoning Seto's shirt, peeling it back slowly as if he were unwrapping a gift. He bent down to plant a few kisses on the exposed skin while his eyes swept over Seto's body. The brunette had always been thin. On his lanky frame, even a five-pound weight loss would have been noticeable. But it looked like Seto had dropped double that. His ribs were clearly visible, and his waist was positively waspish.

_I didn't have a choice. I was busy; I didn't have time to eat, _Seto said defensively as he felt Yami lightly trace the contours of his ribcage. He was anticipating an argument.

_You could have made time,_ Yami thought to himself, but he didn't share that with Seto. He didn't want to fight. Besides, it was a stupid thing to fight over… he knew that his lover's last priority was himself. But at least he was on the list now. That in and of itself was already an improvement.

Seto didn't understand why Yami hadn't responded. Not that he expected the former Pharaoh to share his every waking thought, but it seemed as if he were trying to consolidate what he wanted to say. Figuring the best defense was a good offense, he added, _It's not a big deal. I've survived it before._

_I know. _Crimson eyes flicked up to meet uncertain blue ones, then Yami lowered himself down until he was resting on top of Seto, his ear pressed against the older duelist's chest. _Let me take care of you, _he whispered.

Seto snorted. _I'm not a baby._

Yami smiled. _You're MY Baby._

_Lame, _Seto complained, but he wasn't really upset by it. He didn't mind having Yami take care of him. And he liked having Yami's weight pressing against him, and the sensation of his fingers tracing little figure eights on his arm and tickling down his side.

_I want to make you feel good._

He was doing a good job of that. Seto closed his eyes again, and sighed. Yami was working on undoing his belt now. It was easy to lie there and just let it happen. He wanted it to happen. _If I fall asleep, I'm sorry._

Yami paused. He had his fingers on Seto's zipper. _Would you rather sleep?_

_No. _Seto put his hand over Yami's, urging him to unzip his pants. _Just promise me that you won't stop, even if do I fall asleep._

… _All right._

_(lemon deleted for ffnet)_

* * *

"I hate having to wake them, but they can't sleep in here."

That was the first thing Yami heard when he awoke. It sounded like Mokuba's voice. He forced his eyes open to confirm that yes, the voice and the mop of black hair did indeed belong to the teenager, who was now looking at him apologetically.

"Hi," Yami mumbled, forcing his fingers to relax a little. He had knotted them in Seto's hair when Mokuba had startled him, though apparently that wasn't enough to wake the older duelist.

"Hey. So um… now that you're awake, you can help us figure out a way to get Seto inside."

Nodding, Yami fought back a yawn and said, "Well, I can take his shoulders, if you two can manage his legs and feet. He doesn't weigh much you know; he's just… tall."

"Or we can just poke him until he wakes up, and he can walk in on his own," Noa suggested.

"Noa, that's mean! Look at him – he's so tired he's not reacting at all to us talking over him, and you know what a light sleeper Seto normally is," Mokuba protested.

"It'd just be for a minute! He has legs; he can use them."

Mokuba slapped his hand to his forehead. "No!"

"Why not? If he's really that tired, he won't have any problem falling back asleep."

Yami couldn't help but chuckle at the argument. At the rate they were going at, he was tempted to just say "Forget it" and sleep in the limo the rest of the afternoon, but considering how stiff his neck was already, it was probably a bad idea.

"Maybe Isono can help, Yami," Mokuba was now saying. "What do you think?"

"Yeah, great idea! He's already taken in all our luggage, including Yami's 50 pound bag of sex toys, so why not?" Noa snarked. Mokuba just gave him a very odd look.

Yami sighed. "I didn't bring… never mi…"

The sudden sound of footsteps pounding on asphalt cut short Yami's response, and before the crimson-eyed man even had a chance to see who it was, a cheery voice called out, "Hey hey, you're all finally here, mates!"

"Valon?" Yami queried.

"That's me!" A spiky-haired head popped into view in the doorway, along with a frantically waving hand. "Aww… would ya look at that… Kaiba's so cute when he's zonked! Anyways, I would've come out earlier, but Rafael said I couldn't leave the house in the nuddy."

Noa scratched his head. "Uh… in the what?"

"If it means what I think it means, thank God for Rafael," Mokuba muttered under his breath, then something occurred to him. "Speaking of Rafael, is he around?"

"He'll be right out. Why? Need some furniture moved?" the Aussie joked.

Noa suddenly smiled, realizing what Mokuba was getting at. "Maaaybe…"

"Seto is NOT a piece of furniture," Yami protested mildly, but it wasn't a bad idea. Certainly Rafael could handle the task better than any of them could. He knew first hand that those muscles weren't just for show. But… as unreasonable as it sounded, Yami didn't want to let go of Seto, not even for a moment. They'd been apart for so long that every second together mattered, even if Seto wasn't awake to enjoy it.

"Oh come on Yami, Rafael's much less likely to drop him than the three of us," Mokuba pointed out as the burly blonde joined them. "Like, look at him, his arm is the size of my waist!"

"I know," Yami sighed, then, after seeing everyone's expectant eyes on him, including Rafael's, he finally gave in. "Oh, all right. I don't want to sit out here all day anyway."

* * *

After they got Seto settled in the downstairs bedroom, Yami suggested that they all take advantage of the long, lazy afternoon and get some rest. Mokuba and Noa didn't really want to nap, being eager to see all the sights the beach town had to offer, but since they needed to unpack first and get themselves acclimated to the new house, they stayed in the house and ended up settling down for a nap themselves, thanks to a combination of boredom and jet lag.

Several hours later, Noa awoke to the cries of seagulls and the sound of waves crashing on the shore. It was early evening, and after taking a peek out the window, he woke Mokuba up so that together, they could watch the sun setting over the Pacific, bathing the sand and ocean for miles around in gorgeous golds, sparkling azure, and soft purple. No wonder Yami had wanted to buy this particular duplex so badly… the view was truly breathtaking, especially from the rear bedroom on the 3rd floor, which they had agreed to claim as their own.

Wanting more than ever to go out and explore, and maybe grab a bite to eat while they were at it, the teens headed down to Seto and Yami's bedroom on the first floor. Maybe the older couple would be awake by now. But… no luck – they both remained fast asleep, and neither stirred even when Mokuba crept to their bedside and leaned over to check on them. He almost expected Seto to sit up and bark, "What?" and scare the shit out of him, but it didn't happen. And that worried him.

_Poor Nii-sama… he's so worn out!_ Mokuba thought, quickly planting a feather-light kiss on his brother's cheek out of impulse. But at least he was tucked in a proper bed now, with Yami by his side. And Yami would make sure he was taken care of once he awoke. That knowledge put Mokuba's mind at ease. It meant he didn't really need to stay there to watch over Seto.

"Well, what now?" Noa asked as the black-haired teen exited the room, shutting the door softly behind him.

"I don't know."

He was hungry, and knew Mokuba was as well. "We could just leave a note."

"Yeah… but I don't want Nii-sama to worry about us getting lost or whatever."

Noa snorted. "Come on, we're practically adults, and we're literate too. We wouldn't get lost."

"I guess… But we don't even know where to go."

"Hmm. Well, why don't we just take a walk along the beach then? That's romantic, right?"

"You silly! But… that does sound kinda nice," Mokuba said, chuckling. It was a tempting offer. He laced his fingers with Noa's. "I'd still be hungry though."

Noa smiled despite Mokuba's indecision. He was glad that the younger teen wasn't worrying about Seto anymore, since there wasn't much they could do for him until he awoke. And who knew when that would be? Better yet, Mokuba now seemed to be willing to leave the house with him as well. He just needed to sweeten the deal a little more "Well, tell you what… maybe we can bug the guys next door? I'm sure they could recommend a good place to eat that's close by, and that way if Seto and Yami were to wake up, they wouldn't have to worry about us getting lost."

Mokuba laughed and wrapped his arms around Noa's neck, hugging him. "That's a great idea! I'll go write up a note," he announced, bounding back up the stairs. Then he stopped, turned back for a moment, and added, "And after that, are you still up for that walk on the beach?"

Noa grinned, feeling his cheeks heat up slightly. "Of course!" Now they were back on the right track! He was excited. He had a feeling that this was going to be one memorable summer vacation.

* * *

Seto wasn't sure where exactly he was, or… when? From the faint light and the cool, sweet-salty mist wafting into the room, his muddled mind told him it was likely morning. And he was in a bed, on soft sheets, somewhere... by the ocean? But he didn't remember where he'd been the previous night, or the previous day. Or was it days?

He'd been heading to the airport. He had to pick up Yami and Mokuba and Noa. He vaguely remembered doing that… or had it all been a dream?

He rolled over, disoriented, and ended up with a face full of spiky ebony and scarlet hair. Almost in disbelief, he reached out to touch it, relieved to realize that he wasn't hallucinating. _Yami…_

His lover was really, finally there, lying half tangled in the sheets, his skin bare and golden. They had to be at the condo then. But how long had he been asleep?

As his mind cleared, he realized his bladder felt full. He got up to relieve it and almost immediately felt the telltale signs of a good fucking – a slight soreness, and just an unusual awareness of the muscles between his legs. He recalled being in the limo, and telling Yami to not stop, even if he fell asleep, but everything after that was quite spotty. He must really have passed out, then. Which meant he didn't come. He felt cheated. _Well… that's something that needs to be resolved._

If it was morning… provided that it was Thursday and not Friday, well, then he had more than a few hours to spare. Seto smiled. Turnabout was fair play.

* * *

TBC

Author's Notes: 

- LAX is the abbreviation for Los Angeles International Airport.  
- Reminder – in my last summer fanfic (The Boys of Summer) Seto ended up purchasing a duplex in Laguna Beach, CA, right next door to the one the Doom boys were living in.  
- Re: Aussie slang. "In the nuddy" in the nude.


	2. Ch 1: Locked In

Pairings: Seto + Yami, Noa + Mokuba, Jou + Mai, Yugi + Anzu, Malik + Ryou, Rafael + Valon + Amelda  
Warnings: swearing  
Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! is the creation of Kazuki Takahashi. The Fantastic Plastic Machine is a film by Eric and Lowell Blum. "I'm Already There" is performed and recorded by Lonestar. This is a not-for-profit fanwork and I do not own any of these characters.

* * *

**Summer of '69**

**Ch. 1: Locked In**

* * *

Late in the morning on Friday, Yugi and his friends from Domino met up with the Hopkins and the Ishtars in the lobby of the KaibaLand Hotel. Seto had set them all up with passes for the special invitation-only preview day, and they were all eager to see the park as well as spend time reacquainting themselves with one another. Ishizu and Rishid had flown in from Egypt the previous evening, and although Malik and Bakura had stopped by their suite to say hi, they hadn't had a chance to talk to any of the others yet and were looking forward to doing so. In contrast, Rebecca and her grandfather had chosen to drive in that very morning since they were only a scant hour away. But they were checking into the hotel for the duration of the tournament as well, considering it a sort of paid vacation, just as everyone else did.

After a complimentary continental breakfast, the big, boisterous group headed out to the park via monorail. No one was terribly surprised to see Mokuba and Noa waiting for them when they disembarked. Being good hosts as well as friends, they had promised to give them the grand tour of the brand new KaibaLand, though from what Yugi understood, this was their first time at the park too. So perhaps it was more joint exploration than anything else, though the two teens were confident about their ability to find their way around, saying that the layout was quite similar to the KaibaLand in Domino.

"We'll be underway soon. We're just waiting on Pegasus, Valon, Rafael and Amelda," Mokuba explained as Noa fiddled with a little handheld electronic map of the park. It was better to be safe than sorry when navigating a property that spanned over 400 acres.

"So Kaiba won't be joining us?" Bakura asked.

"No. Seto's um… sorta busy overseeing any last minute changes that need to be made. You know how he is," Noa responded. He squinted in the direction of the business complex that flanked the far side of the park.

"That really is too bad," Ishizu said softly. "His own grand opening, and he doesn't have the time to come down and enjoy it?"

"Oh, he's enjoying something," Noa muttered, but only a few people caught it.

"So then… where's Yami?" Shizuka queried. She obviously didn't hear Noa's comeback.

"Dare I say it?" Everyone looked at Otogi. "He's probably off _doing_… uh, stuff."

"If by 'stuff' you mean Kaiba, yeah, probably," Jou said, snickering.

Mokuba sighed. "Thanks Jou, thanks for the visual."

Jou laughed. "I bet it's true."

"I bet you're right, but let's not go there," Honda added.

Mokuba made a face. Didn't Seto and Yami have the right to spend time together as they wished? Considering that they had been asleep for the majority of the past day and a half, they probably still wanted to make up for lost time. And that was fine. Seto had done what he needed to get the park up and running. He didn't deserve to have anyone second guess him on that. "Does it matter? Besides, this isn't _really_ the 'grand opening.' That's tomorrow. Today is just a sneak peak for special guest , like members of the media, employees' families, kids from local orphanages. And Noa and I are in charge of it."

"Wow, so you two are the big shots today, huh?" Rebecca asked. She looked suitably impressed and Mokuba wondered if there was another reason why she was grinning at him. He hadn't seen her in two years… she'd grown up, just like he had. He suddenly wondered if she still had a crush on Yugi, and if she was aware that Anzu had beaten her to the punch, and if so… Okay, she just winked at him. What the hell?

"Hey, there they are!" Yugi called out, waving at a quartet of men approaching from the parking lot. As always, it was easy to spot Rafael, even from some distance away.

Saved by the bell. Mokuba resisted the urge to sigh in relief, and filed away the bit about Rebecca to reevaluate later. "Ah, good. Well, let's get going then."

* * *

There were plenty of people who qualified as "special guests" apparently, for the park looked decently full. There were news crews on site, groups of kids gaping at holographic special effects strategically tucked in between buildings and walkways, and families enjoying the rides. Popular attractions like the Blue Eyes White Dragon coaster even had riders lining up. Yugi-tachi were already making mental notes of which rides they wanted to try out while Mokuba and Noa patiently herded the group along, reminding them that they'd had plenty of time to sample the rides after the tour and before the Grand Prix registration party, which would be held back in the hotel that evening.

After a good half-hour, they'd made their way through the maze-like interior of the park and arrived at an enormous structure which dominated the back portion of the lot. It looked like a gigantic BEWD head, complete with teeth that served as structural supports across the building's many entrances. Mokuba announced that they had arrived at the Kaiba Dome California, a multipurpose stadium that would not only host Duel Monster duels, but sporting events, concerts, conventions and more. The idea was that even if there weren't tournaments to be held, the stadium would still turn a profit by hosting other events. And it was set up for that as well, having a separate parking lot so that on days with heavy traffic, space could be reserved for people who were only there to attend the stadium functions.

"So is this where the tournament is taking place?" Honda wondered aloud as they made their way through the cavernous building.

"Yes and no. Parts of it will be held here, but not the whole thing," Mokuba explained. "I just wanted to show you guys the new dueling platform in here… it's the final prototype of what will be the next generation in dueling technology."

Several minutes later, they arrived at the heart of the Kaiba Dome. Mokuba and Noa ushered everyone in, then walked them over to a very large Duel Monsters platform that took up half the stadium's floor space. It looked similar to existing KC platforms, except it was much larger. There were already a few adults and a mob of youths standing around it, the kids obviously aspiring duelists who had been drawn in by their curiosity in seeing the latest in Duel Monsters technology. And there were already duels underway, from kids simply laying cards out on the floor and checking off points on scraps of paper, to one bolder boy that actually got on the platform to duel. But where was his opponent?

Noa nodded at the opposing platform. "That's the KC DuelTek 760. It's a computerized opponent that's light years ahead of the old ones. It has five difficulty levels, and has been programmed to include almost every single card ever made and to analyze and replicate the strategies of all the top duelists. Of course, it can be disabled when we want to use the platform for regular duels, but for all those times you wanna duel and can't find someone to play against, this is the answer."

"Very impressive," Pegasus commented, though he had already seen earlier prototypes and knew what the DuelTek 760 would be capable of if Seto had managed to work out all the kinks.

"Heh, so then, I could duel myself?" Jou asked. "'Cuz I'm one of them top duelists ya know."

Mokuba just smiled. Truth be told, he didn't know if Seto ever got around to importing Jounouchi's cards. "Sure…"

"Hmm, well, your prototype still has a few glitches from the looks of it," Honda commented, referring to the duel already in progress. "Not that I'm any good at this stuff, but why would it play Scapegoat after its opponent attacked and destroyed one of its monsters?"

"Because the face down card is a trap," Mai responded. "It's pretty obvious." Several heads nodded in agreement.

Sure enough, the computer announced it was playing DNA Surgery, turning all the monsters on the field into dragons, then Polymerization to form the Five-Headed Dragon out of the five monsters on its side of the field. With 5,000 attack points, the dragon easily wiped out the boy's Gagagigo, along with his life points.

"Wow, that was pretty brutal," Anzu said. "I guess he had the difficulty set too high."

"Yes, but there definitely is value in a scalable system like that. The programming can 'grow' with you, so you'll always have a challenge," Sugoroku pointed out as the boy got off the platform and went to join his friends.

Then one of the kids happened to look over in their direction, and after a moment's scrutiny, yelled out, "Oh my God, is that the world champ, Yugi Mutou?"

"No way!" a girl responded.

"It has to be! And that's Rebecca Hopkins! And Mr. Crawford!"

"Oh wow!"

All of a sudden, the tour group was mobbed by eager kids and teens seeking autographs and pictures. It was a little surprising since none of them were really active in tournaments anymore, real life and adulthood having taken a toll on their time. Yugi hadn't even officially defended his world championship title in almost a year and a half. But maybe because they had been out of the spotlight for a while, they were thrilled with the attention… it was fun being treated like celebrities by a crowd who really looked up to them and admired them.

_Now that's odd…_ Mai thought she recognized one of the teenagers in the throng from photos, or perhaps television. She prided herself on keeping up to date on the latest news and names in Duel Monsters, even if she was no longer actively competing. "Hey kid, what's your name?"

"Oh… you're Mai Kujaku, right? You were at Duelist Kingdom and Battle City! Wow, this is really amazing!" He enthusiastically shook her hand. "I'm Leon."

Otogi looked over, scrutinizing the ponytailed teen. "Leon… Wilson?"

Leon looked a bit embarrassed. "Uh yeah, that's me. But I can't believe it... Yugi Mutou, Mai Kujaku, Rebecca Hopkins, Pegasus Crawford…"

"And Katsuya Jounouichi!" Jou announced, withering a little when Leon just gave him a confused look, not quite recognizing him. "Aw, man… come on! I was at Duelist Kingdom and Battle City too!"

Leon thought about it. "Hmm, I think I might vaguely remember you… Well, it's great to meet you too!"

"Aren't you the one they call the undefeated prodigy?" Sugoroku asked Leon. He too kept up with things, and he had heard reports about a teenager who'd been rapidly climbing the tournament ranks.

"That's him! Rick wanted to see Leon duel the computer, but Leon said he just wanted to watch everyone else play!" a young girl added. She was hanging onto the sleeve of a boy in a red jacket.

"It's okay, sis. He said he'd help me with my deck, so that I could try dueling that computer instead," her brother Rick responded. He pulled his cards out of his pocket. "But I can't seem to win any duels, and I don't understand why…"

"Huh, well, I'd be happy to take a look for you too," Yugi offered.

Rick's face lit up. "Really? Neat!" He quickly handed his deck over to Yugi, who began flipping through them quickly with a practiced eye.

"Well now, see, that's the problem," Jou said over Yugi's shoulder once the little duelist was done shuffling through them. "They're all dragons, kid."

"Uh, yeah… I love dragons," Rick admitted.

"I wonder if Kaiba sounded like that as a kid," Otogi said, grinning.

Rebecca shook her head. "It's great that you love your monsters, but you need magic and trap cards to help balance it out."

Yugi nodded in agreement, then pulled out his own deck. Flipping through the cards, he chose one in particular and handed it to Rick, saying, "Here, take this. It might come in handy."

Rick clutched at the card, his eyes wide. "Oh my God, really? Can I try it out right now?"

Yugi smiled. "Sure, if you want."

"Whooooo!" The boy quickly bounded up onto the platform, set the difficulty level to 2, and initiated the duel. He wasn't sure exactly what Heart of the Underdog, the card Yugi had given him, would do, but he was excited to try it out, and to show off his skills in front of so many well known duelists. It was like a dream come true!

The player platforms rose up and locked in place. Rick put his cards down on the deck zone of his player's console. And then… the stadium's lights suddenly went out.

* * *

Seto _knew_ he ought to get Yami off his lap. Hell, he knew he should have booted the former Pharaoh the moment he sauntered into his office in some crazy ass black vinyl pants with zippers all over the place and an equally wild sleeveless black top that laced up the back. But he hadn't. Instead, he stupidly sat in his chair and let Yami complain about how it was too hot to be wearing vinyl, and then while he wondered why Yami was walking around dressed like that at all, the shorter man walked around the desk and _climbed on top of him_ and now… now things were getting hard. It was very difficult trying to work on a computer when he couldn't even see the screen past the wild tri-color hair in his face. Never mind that his attention was scattered to the winds anyway, thanks to the warm, soft mouth on his earlobe and the hands rubbing circles on his chest. Oh, and of course, one vinyl-clad crotch doing some obscene bumping and grinding against his easily aroused unit. Yup. It was incredibly hard all right…

_See… this is exactly why… mmm… why I didn't fly you out here earlier…_ Seto groaned, concentrating on the sound of Yami's tongue wetly tracing his ear. It was so easy to just sit back and let him do whatever he wanted.

_You put your hands inside my shirt first,_ Yami answered reasonably, putting his teeth to work now. Not that he needed an excuse to come and distract Seto from his work – the stressed out CEO needed it.

_Your shirt… had a fucking hole in the back. I was trying to, um… fix it._

… _Then why'd you unlace it? Hmm?_

_Why ask wh… _"What the hell?" The intercom was beeping. Didn't he give very explicit instructions that he was not to be disturbed unless the world was coming to an end, or something?

Yami quickly slid off his lover's lap. He seemed distracted, and a bit distressed. "Answer that."

Startled by the sudden change in Yami's mood, Seto hit the button. "Yes?"

It was Fubeta. "Mr. Kaiba, um, ah… someone's hacked into the Kaiba Dome central computer."

"WHAT?! How?"

"I don't know, sir. But there's people inside, and…"

"Yugi… and Mokuba and Noa are in there. The others too," Yami said, relaying what he could from Yugi's perspective. "Apparently they're locked in the building. They're okay right now, but there's a bunch of kids in there as well, and the dueling computer seems to have gone haywire. Mokuba, Noa and Rebecca are working on trying to shut it down, but aren't having any luck yet."

"Damn it," Seto growled. The cameras for the interior of the Kaiba Dome finally came online, and he could now see for himself what Yami had been describing. There was one kid on the dueling platform, looking rather panicked, and several more on the floor below. He spotted his little brothers by one of the control panels on the side, but whatever they were trying to do obviously wasn't working. Then Yugi suddenly looked up and zeroed in on one of the cameras, and nodded, as if telling them something.

"Yugi says the boy on the platform initiated a duel right before the computer went nuts, so it looks like he's going to have to beat the computer to get the program to shut down so they can get out," Yami reported. "But the system has reset itself to the hardest setting, and the boy is panicking."

Seto grimaced. What went wrong? Was it a programming oversight, or something more malicious? Whatever it was, he needed to fix it, but for that, he needed time, and he needed to focus. Gathering up his laptop and cellphone, he asked, "Can Yugi help the kid out, or maybe some of the others? Plenty of decent duelists in that room… the kid has a chance of winning if he can take instructions."

"Yugi?" A slight pause, and then, "Yes, he offered to take over the duel and the boy agreed. But he's going to have to use the deck already in play. He said it might be tough."

"Tell him to stall for time if he has to. I'm going to start working on it from my end," Seto announced, already in the process of accessing and isolating the program even as he rose to his feet. "Fubeta."

"Yes sir?" the man's voice squeaked over the intercom.

"Get my helicopter ready _NOW_."

* * *

While Mokuba, Rebecca and Noa continued to troubleshoot the program via the control panel and the rest of the group helped the adults reassure the kids trapped in the Kaiba Dome, Yugi began his turn, playing Petit Dragon in defense mode. There wasn't much else he could do… Rick had nothing but dragons in his deck.

The DuelTek 760 responded aggressively by playing Cost Down to summon Airknight Parshath straight to the field. Then it played the trap card Robbin' Goblin, which would force Yugi to discard a card from his hand every time he took damage to his life points. With those cards, plus the Berserk Gorilla it had played as an opener, it not only destroyed Petit Dragon, but forced Yugi to discard two cards in his hand as well. By the end of that single round, Yugi was down to 800 life points.

"Oh no… I'm so sorry. If you didn't have to use my deck, you wouldn't be losing," Rick said apologetically from behind Yugi.

"Don't worry, we still have a chance." _I just need to draw that card I gave him… _Concentrating, the violet-eyed duelist drew from the deck, and was surprised to see a magic card, Dragon Treasure. "Huh… well, I'll play Luster Dragon in attack mode, along with this Dragon Treasure!" The now buffed up dragon destroyed Airknight Parshath, reducing the computer's life points by 300.

"Go Yugi!" Valon yelled as Yugi ended his turn.

The computer pressed on, summoning Slate Warrior to weaken Luster Dragon so that Berserk Gorilla could destroy it, causing Yugi to lose 300 more life points as well as another card.

Yugi countered with Cave-Dwelling Dragon in defense mode, trying to buy just a little more time with the monster's 2,000 defense points, but the computer summoned Jinzo the next round and destroyed the dragon.

_Aibou, how are you doing?_ Yami suddenly asked. He'd been keeping tabs on the duel's progress via Seto's laptop while the brunette tried to remotely override the DuelTek 760, but seeing how things were going, he figured he'd pop in in case Yugi needed some encouragement.

_Well… I've had better duels. I really need to draw the card I gave Rick earlier._

_I have every confidence in you. And we'll be landing in just a minute, so let everyone know that help is on the way. Seto will pull the power to the entire area if he has to in order to get you all out of there. But I don't think that'll be necessary… I know you can beat that computer. It's a machine; it doesn't have the drive and determination you do._

_Yeah… wish me luck anyways though. _

_Of course._

There was a pause; Yugi had to be drawing his next card, and then he returned with a triumphant, _And now it's time to turn this duel around!_

Yami chuckled, and lay a hand lightly on Seto's arm to let him know that the situation was improving, even though he knew his boyfriend could see it for himself on the monitor. _All right, I'll leave you to it then. Good job!_

* * *

By the time the chopper touched down, the doors of the Kaiba Dome were open and everyone who had been trapped inside came spilling out. Seto quickly hopped out and instantly made a beeline for his brothers, relieved to see that they were both fine, if a little pissed off at letting a hacker get the better of the three of them.

Luckily, everyone else seemed to be doing fine as well. Seto let out a breath of air he'd been holding in, glad that he didn't have to deal with crying kids and irate guardians and nosy reporters. It was a blessing that Yugi had pulled through and soundly beaten the computer. Now that they were out, the teens and older children chatted about it like it was some great adventure, and the littlest kids only remembered the exciting finale, gushing loudly to their anxious custodians about how fun it was to see the world champion dueling.

The crowd quickly dispersed, heading off to other attractions. Seto silently watched them leave, then turned to the assembled tour group. "Sorry about what happened."

"It's all right. No one was harmed," Rishid answered.

"It could have been bad though, if the media got wind of it," Mokuba said sagely. "And they're all over the place today."

"Yeah, plus you now have a hacker to deal with," Rebecca pointed out.

"Yes, and when I catch the ass who did this, I'm going to break his fucking face," Seto ground out. "Fubeta!"

"Yes sir?"

"Tell Isono to triple the security for this opening weekend. I can't afford to have this happen again. And get me detailed reports on every duelist registered for the tournament."

"You think it's one of the duelists?" Amelda asked as the security officer wandered back to the helicopter and got on the walkie-talkie with Isono.

Seto folded his arms. "It's a possibility." He didn't want to admit that he _maybe_ he hadn't really looked at the list of invitees as carefully as he should have. Not that he thought Yami had been neglectful in selecting the participants, it was just that he sorta had the need to verify things himself, to make doubly sure everything was okay…. and he has been so busy and preoccupied at the time, he hadn't done it. Other people might have called that paranoia, but other people didn't have the type of enemies he had.

Otogi shook his head. "Damn… You really have a knack for attracting nutcases."

"Well, we'll do our part to keep an eye out for anything or anyone suspicious," Professor Hopkins volunteered. "If it is one of the duelists, surely one of us will notice something sooner or later."

"We appreciate that," Yami answered for Seto.

The brunette CEO gave a slight nod. "And remember that the registration party is tonight starting at 5:00 PM, so make sure to get back to the hotel on time. Other than that, have fun; do what you like." He touched Yami's shoulder lightly, then turned around and began heading back to the chopper. He had a whole new headache to deal with, and not much time to do take care of it.

"Wait, Kaiba… what about you?" Anzu asked.

"Hm?"

Yugi gave the young billionaire an encouraging smile. "Why not come with us? Enjoy your grand opening… you've earned it."

"Yeah, you look like hell, Kaiba," Jou added.

Seto paused. _Stupid Mutt, what does he know?_ He wished he could relax, but now all he could think about was tracking down the hacker before something else happened. "I'm afraid I'm busy," he ended up saying, choosing the simplicity of truth rather than a sharp comeback that wouldn't have helped matters. No one else made a comment as he got back in the helicopter and instructed Fubeta to fly him straight back to his office on the other side of the park.

Yami, Yugi and the others watched him leave. Yami didn't look too happy, but he didn't complain about being dumped off. He was worried about his boyfriend. Seto was pushing himself too hard still… he desperately needed a break. The sleep he had gotten the day and a half before wasn't going to be enough to get him by if he didn't slow down. But until this hacker problem was resolved, Seto wasn't going to stop until his body gave up on him. And it was getting close to that point.

* * *

TBC

Author's Notes:   
- Well, as should be obvious, this isn't an exact duplicate of KCGP, duh : ) And I'm cutting out some of the over-the-top corniness because it doesn't suit what I'm writing. But otherwise, I'm trying to keep it as close as possible. Keep in mind that my main reference is the American dub, not the subs, so if things are inaccurate with the original version, that is partially the problem. But I am using yu-jyo. net to try and bridge the gap between the two, so hopefully a happy compromise was reached. Actually I really, REALLY have to give a shout out to yu-jyo. net… the info from that site is what it making this arc possible, because I didn't manage to get the entire arc on tape and my memory is pretty crappy.  
- Major / notable changes from canon:  
1) This chapter covers the second half of episode 185 and the first half of 186. The first half of 185 was deleted… obviously my story line is different, so the fic picks up from the point Yugi-tachi get to the theme park.  
2) I changed / removed the scenes with Sieg in his castle. He couldn't fly from Germany to the US fast enough for the story line to work, so the assumption is that he's already arrived at the park, and is doing this from somewhere close by (the hotel, most likely).  
3) Because of Yami's mind link with Yugi, it wouldn't have taken him very long to realize something was wrong, so I switched the order of scenes and had Seto become aware of the problem much sooner than in canon.  
4) Yugi duels the computer, not Yami as in the original, 'cause Yami was being a bad, bad boy : )  
- Re: Rebecca and Leon's ages. In regards to Rebecca, I have read that she's noticeably younger in the dub version (like 8!!) which to me doesn't fit the way she thinks and acts. So I'm going with the original Japanese, which I think placed her at 12, which means she's around Mokuba / Noa's age now (14, 15ish). For Leon, I'm putting him in the same age range too, for the same reasons.  
- Re: locations. In regards to where Rebecca and her grandfather hail from, I think in canon it's somewhere in Northern California ( places it at Altamont Pass in episode 155), but the show may have underestimated the distance between points (later in the same episode, Rebecca says Death Valley is an hour away when in reality it'd be several hours away, certainly too far for Yami to have ridden to) so it's a little hard to pinpoint. So I took creative license and have her and Prof. Hopkins calling San Bernardino home. At the same time, I sorta imagine KaibaLand being out towards Riverside (I'm not going to give it an exact location, just live with it) – that would put the Kaiba's vacation home about two hours away towards the west, and the Hopkins probably about an hour away towards the north.  
- Re: duels. Honestly, they're boring LOL. And I never watched the show because I cared about dueling. But this is a tournament, so it'll be hard to escape the duels. I did try to gloss over them as much as possible, however, if you still don't want to read them (and I can't blame ya… I didn't want to write them) you don't have to. They're pretty much exactly the same as in the corresponding anime episodes.


	3. Ch 2: Standing Room Only

Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! is the creation of Kazuki Takahashi. Standing Room Only is a film by James Perkinson. This is a not-for-profit fanwork and I do not own any of these characters.

* * *

**Summer of '69**

**Ch. 2: Standing Room Only**

* * *

The Grand Prix registration party was a lavish affair, held in the grand ballroom of the KaibaLand California Hotel. All the duelists participating in the tournament would be in attendance, along with even more media, politicians, celebrities and luminaries of all sorts… anyone that would draw more public attention to the grand opening of the park.

But Seto was not thinking about mingling with the well-known and well-to-do. He didn't give a crap about the crab canapés or the truffle stuffed mushrooms being served on silver platters by the tuxedo clad waitstaff, nor the flawless white roses spilling over the display platform which held a trio of magnificent Blue Eyes White Dragon ice sculptures. It didn't matter that it was the Fourth of July, and that he had opened the parking lot for free public viewing of the most insane fireworks show he'd ever planned. He had a hacker to deal with, and that required his focus above all else.

Seto was no fool. He'd gotten off easy earlier in the day, when the KC DuelTek 760 had been hacked. Whoever had done it had done it as a teaser. They were toying with him. It was like a slap in the face. He hated it.

He'd rather be in his office working on the problem at hand. But being the CEO and the public "face" of Kaiba Corp., he was obligated to attend the party, a waste of time and money really… but he figured he'd at least take advantage of the opportunity to meet the duelists and narrow down his list of suspects since it was possible that the hacker was not working alone. There was already one guy in particular that rubbed him the wrong way: a young man named Sieg Lloyd - and that was just from looking at the guy's application. He seemed familiar… but Seto wasn't sure if he had actually met him at some point, or if he just reminded him of someone else.

The brunette felt a hand on his elbow and a mental nudge, and automatically turned to follow it, pasting a hopefully pleasant smile on his face for the news photographer that stood there, camera at the ready. He was tired as well as distracted, but that wasn't something he wanted the world to know. Yami was doing a good job of directing his attention where it was needed and otherwise leaving him alone with his thoughts, and Seto was extremely grateful for his help. Mokuba and Noa would probably be floating around trying to do the same as well, but Seto had sent them off to take care of hosting duties since he was stuck dealing with the media. He figured they'd do just fine.

Over by the buffet area, the younger Kaibas were doing exactly as their brother had asked, making sure that everyone was having a good time, as well as surreptitiously keeping an eye out for anyone or anything suspicious. But they didn't spot anything out of the ordinary – in fact, the only thing that seemed off was the fact that Sugoroku had left shortly after they'd arrived, saying that he did not feel well due to jet lag, and Rebecca's apparent interest in Mokuba. She was being very chatty, directing all sorts of questions at the black-haired teen, giggling at his comments and putting her hand on his shoulder as if she were his best friend. It was making Mokuba somewhat uncomfortable and flat out pissing Noa off. The green-haired teen knew he couldn't just come out and say, "Hey, Mokuba's MY boyfriend!" but at the same time, that didn't mean he had to stand idly by and watch her either. Noa was about to tell her that Mokuba had a girlfriend back home when a woman suddenly bumped into Rebecca from behind.

"That's a rather inconvenient place to stand," the lady complained with a scowl.

"Well, why don't you watch where you're going?" Rebecca snapped in response, but the woman suddenly darted past her to make a grab for Yugi, her eyes shimmering.

"Oh my goodness, you must be Yugi Mutou! Why, you're even more adorable in real life!" she gushed. "I'm Vivian Wong, but you can call me 'Viv,'" she cooed, fluttering her lashes at him.

"Um… hi?" was all Yugi managed to squeak as Vivian wrapped her arms around him in an enthusiastic hug. Rebecca made a miffed sound, while Anzu gaped at the sight and began glaring daggers at the woman. Just who did she think she was, touching her boyfriend like that? And why wasn't Yugi pushing her away? He didn't think she was… _attractive_, did he?!

"Now just because we're going to have to duel each other doesn't mean we can't be friendly the rest of the time, am I right?"

"What!? Hey lady…!" Rebecca began protesting.

"Sure, I guess…" Yugi stammered. Viv was pretty hot, but more than that… she had his face practically crushed into her bosom. Anzu turned her glare onto her boyfriend instead.

Oblivious to the problems she was causing, Vivian suddenly released the little duelist, her sights now set on far more valuable prey. "Oh my God, is that the King of Games, Yami Mutou? And… Seto Kaiba too? Why, he's even more handsome than I imagined! Ohhh Kaiba, over here…!" And with that, she ran off.

"He's also gayer than you imagined," Jou muttered, watching as the Chinese woman tried to attach herself to Seto only to be interrupted by a possessive ex-spirit, one who had no qualms about laying claim to the one he considered his. Without any hesitation, he stepped in front of Vivian, latched onto Seto's wrist, and led his lover towards the next group of reporters. An indignant Vivian was left standing with her hands on her hips, fuming, as Seto went on to answer more questions.

"Serves her right," Rebecca announced before turning back to Mokuba with a smile, much to Noa's vexation. But he noticed Anzu looking at the blonde rather oddly as well. Perhaps he could convince her to have a "girl talk" with Rebecca to find out what was going on, because at this rate, he was going to end up saying or doing something he'd probably later regret.

* * *

After talking to far more reporters than he cared to, Seto followed Yami to the tables in the back corner of the room, where Yugi and the others were. Yami wanted his boyfriend to sit down and have a bite to eat, but the brunette testily protested, saying he wasn't hungry. He just wanted to get the tournament registration over and done with so he could go back to working on his hacker problem, but after checking in with Isono, it turned out that one of the duelists was not present and accounted for. And which one would that be? Why, Sieg Lloyd of course.

Oh well, too bad, so sad. Tardiness was not acceptable. They had a schedule to adhere to as the official announcement of the participants was to be televised on news programs all over the country. Seto was about to tell Isono to get the show started anyway and to announce the disqualification of Mr. Lloyd when suddenly the doors swung open and a tall, slim figure swept into the room, surveying the surroundings with a haughty air.

Seto narrowed his eyes. He instantly knew this had to be his hacker, even if he couldn't prove it yet. The man was just too cocky and smug, with a cold, predatory gaze and a presumptuous smirk. And he was stealing all the attention in the room with his flamboyant flouncing and horrendous pink hair and violet suit. It was like watching at a younger, even more irritating, version of Pegasus at work.

Sieg laughed to himself, seeing all the eyes on him. It might have been Seto Kaiba's tournament, but he was going to make sure that he'd be the one that everyone would be talking about when all was said and done. Speaking of the CEO of Kaiba Corp., he looked over to where Seto and the others were, and with a smirk, sauntered over to introduce himself. From the look on Seto's face, it was clear that while he was suspicious of Sieg, he wasn't going to just kick him out on the spot. He wouldn't be able to justify it now that Sieg he had made his appearance without revealing what had happened earlier in the afternoon. And that suited the German just fine. Plus there was the unexpected bonus of getting to meet Pegasus as well, as he was seated at the same table… even more perfect!

"Ahh… you must be Herr Kaiba. I apologize for being late. Traffic is quite nasty around here, isn't it?" Sieg asked, though his tone indicated he was insincere about it. Then he turned to Pegasus, and in a much more pleasant voice, said, "And Herr Crawford… what a pleasure to meet the creative mind behind Duel Monsters!"

Pegasus blinked, then put out his hand for the pink-haired man to shake. He too caught the obvious change in Sieg's demeanor, and wondered what he was playing at. "Nice to meet you too…"

Seto ground his teeth. This guy had some nerve, walking in like he owned the place, and not even apologizing properly! Well, he wasn't just going to sit by and let some deranged lunatic steal his thunder. This was HIS park and HIS tournament! Rising to his feet, he said nastily, "I should disqualify you for being tardy, you punk."

With a dramatic sigh, Sieg made a show of checking the watch beneath his ruffled cuffs. "And I have already given you my apologies, Herr Kaiba. Besides, it would be in poor taste for you to disqualify me for no reason other than my being unavoidably delayed when the televised announcement has not yet been made… What would that say about you as the promoter of this tournament, hmm?"

"Damn you…" Seto growled as Sieg laughed and simply walked off. He was tempted to disqualify him anyway, just to show him who was in charge, but Yami went and put his hand on his lover's shoulder and, feeling it faintly trembling beneath the tuxedo jacket, tried to soothe him before asking him to let it go. It was no time for a fight; they were going to be on the air in a matter of moments.

Despite Yami's rather calm demeanor, he was extremely worried about what this was doing to Seto. He just didn't want to mention it lest it become even more of a burden than it already was. The brunette was planning to stay up all night to work on safeguards to protect his company. Yami didn't think Seto's body could take it. He was dangerously overextending himself. But what choice did he have? Either his health or his company would suffer, and for Seto, who understood that his family's future depended on the continued growth and success of Kaiba Corp., there was only one choice. Maybe some people would shake their heads if they knew, unable to comprehend such a thing. But that unselfish dedication was something that Yami had could understand, even admire.

Still, he wished Seto would accept his help. There was no shame in that. Not that he knew anything about hacking or how to set up firewalls or anything like that, for that was Seto's speciality and no one knew how to work a computer like he did, but Yami was more than willing to boost his boyfriend's energy levels with his own. It was a strange physical side effect of their mind link, he supposed. It shouldn't have been possible. But he'd had plenty of time to consider it when they were apart, and now, as he felt the strong beats of his lover's heart slowing to mirror his own, he was sure there was some truth to that. It certainly wouldn't hurt to try, that was for sure.

Feeling Yami working to reassure him and calm him down, Seto finally relaxed his shoulders and sank back into his seat. He knew his crimson-eyed lover was right – this registration party would be broadcast worldwide in moments, but he hated letting someone get the better of him like that. But at least now that Sieg had showed up, he could have security keep an eye on him. Better that than let the man wander around unattended, giving him the opportunity to cause more mischief.

After a hectic minute of calling a few additional security officers into the room and finishing camera and microphone checks, the lights in the room dimmed slightly and Isono stepped up to the podium set up in the front of the ballroom. Seto had considered doing the announcements himself being that he was the tournament's sponsor, but he'd been living in the media spotlight for weeks now, and frankly, he was tired of it. So instead he sat in the back and watched as the duelists were introduced, considering his impression of them thus far, evaluating the potential threat each one posed.

"I'm surprised you're not up there, Yami," Mai said as Isono began introducing the duelists in enthusiastic fashion. The man certainly had a flair for the dramatic, but his passionate delivery certainly would make for good TV.

The former Pharaoh shrugged, watching as the spotlight isolated each participant while Isono called out their names. "I wouldn't have minded, but since this is Seto's tournament, and Yugi's going to duel the winner of the tournament… I didn't want to take the attention off of either of them. But I'm sure you understand."

Mai looked over affectionately at where Jou was standing. He waved at the camera as his name was announced, face faulting when Isono referred to him as the perpetual underdog. Apparently Seto had some hand in the script after all. But he recovered quickly, and even threw his wife a quick wink. With a smile, she said, "Yeah, I do." Then she squinted at the next duelist who stepped forward… a short man with a mask concealing his face. "That looks a lot like your grandfather. Or am I seeing things?"

"No, you're right… it's him," the crimson-eyed man confirmed.

Mokuba scratched his head. "What's with the outfit? And why is he calling himself 'Mask the Rock?'"

Yami gave another shrug, then in a low voice, explained, "I guess he didn't want anyone knowing it was him, though… he must have known that we'd check on his references and such. That's how I figured it out, and good thing I did, or else he probably wouldn't have gotten in. He doesn't have any recent tournament experience. But it was clear to me, he really wanted to do this, whatever his reasons. So I approved his application."

"Good thing you're not running my company then," Seto added, but he had a slight smile on his face. He didn't really mind all that much, and having Sugoroku, as well as Jou and Rebecca, in the tournament, meant there were three less people he had to worry about in regards to his hacker problem. But at the same time, he still had 14 unknowns to worry about.

Leon Wilson was just a kid, but Seto wasn't dumb enough to underestimate him based on that. However Mokuba and Noa and the others had met him earlier and didn't have anything bad to say about him, so he seemed an unlikely candidate for conspirator. Then there were guys like Balfry Ginger and Abe the Monkey Man who didn't seem threatening with their goofy demeanors, but maybe they acted like that because that's what they _wanted_ to Seto to think. He wondered the same about Vivian – did she approach him like that earlier because she was actually interested in him, as Yami claimed, or did she have more sinister motives? And then there were the others… masked competitors, like Fortune Salim and Dr. Richard Goat, were worrisome in the fact that he couldn't get a good look at their faces. Weirdos like Totano Ialos and Sergei Ivanoff... a bodybuilder for Christ's sake. Damn… where on _Earth_ did Yami find these guys?

_They were the ones that applied, and that were qualified. You know I wasn't going to let just anyone in, _Yami gently explained. He had been very thorough with his background checks. It was just as likely that the perpetrator was present under the guise of reporter or park employee. Without more evidence, they couldn't be certain that any of the duelists were the hacker in question.

_You let the Mutt in,_ Seto pointed out, almost automatically. He really wasn't thinking about it, distracted as he was by Sieg. But he didn't really blame Yami for what had happened. They obviously weren't dealing with a run-of-the-mill nut here, considering the level of the hack job. A guy as smart as himself – or as Sieg, he begrudgingly admitted – would've made sure to cover his tracks well, waiting for the right time to strike.

Yami rolled his eyes. _You know as well as I… Jou has earned the right to be here. He's a good duelist._

_No, he's a mediocre duelist with good friends. There's a difference._

_Seto…_

_At least I know he's not the hacker. He's not capable of that. And even if he were, I know he wouldn't do it._

Yami couldn't help but smile, and since everyone's attention was on the stage in the front of the room, he went ahead and leaned against Seto's shoulder. It made him happy to hear that near-admission of friendship despite everything that was going on. But he was definitely right… they could count on their friends to have their backs here.

Seto cocked his head and regarded his boyfriend thoughtfully. He wasn't quite sure why Yami was so pleased with his comment, but did it really matter? It was the truth. Deciding it was okay to show some affection until Isono was finished with the announcements and resulting media Q&A, he subtly slid his arm around Yami and tried to force himself to take comfort from the contact, and to relax a bit. He'd need his energy later if he was going to pull an all-nighter.

* * *

From his vantage point up on the raised platform, Sieg gloated over how well things were going for him. Even without looking, he could sense Seto's eyes on him, could feel his dislike and distrust.

_Yes… your suspicions are correct. But little do you know, I have so many other surprises for you. And by the end of this weekend, you will not only see a von Schroider crowned champion of your tournament, but the beginning of Schroider Corp.'s reign as the greatest gaming company in the world! _

* * *

TBC

Author's Notes: 

- Major / notable changes from canon:  
1) This chapter covers the second half of episode 186.  
2) Everyone (except Jou) figures out Sugoroku is Mask the Rock… what a lame attempt at concealing his identity  
- Re: German. Beyond the use of Herr and Frau (Mr. and Ms.), you're not going to see much German spill from Sieg's lips. My German is horrendously rusty at best, and I swear I'll tear my hair out if I actually have to write in any or it. Bad enough I sprinkle random Japanese and Aussie slang in here as it is.  
- Reminder, Jou and Mai are married in my ficverse as was revealed in "'Tis the Season."


	4. Ch 3: The Glass Wall

Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! is the creation of Kazuki Takahashi. The Glass Wall is a film by Jim Freeman. "Wanted Dead or Alive" is performed and recorded by Bon Jovi. This is a not-for-profit fanwork and I do not own any of these characters.

**

* * *

Summer of '69**

**Ch. 3: The Glass Wall**

* * *

Startled, Seto jerked his head up to see a fresh cup of coffee being placed on the table, and two pairs of concerned eyes peering at him. Had he nodded off? Or had he been so focused on updating firewalls and backing up data that he didn't notice Mokuba and Noa creep into the kitchen? And why were they up anyway? Wasn't it just…

"Shit, it's 5:00 AM," the brunette muttered, rubbing at his eyes. Last he checked, it was just a few minutes shy of 3:00.

"Nii-sama, you shouldn't have stayed up all night on this. We said we'd help," Mokuba chided gently as he poured some coffee for himself and Noa. He wanted to say more, but if Seto was already on edge over the hacker, there was no reason to push his buttons.

"I know, I know. But I didn't want you two staying up all night over this," Seto admitted.

Noa folded his arms. "But it's okay for you to do that?"

"Don't be stupid, who else was going to?" Seto snapped, but almost immediately he shook his head in apology. "Sorry, I didn't mean… for it to come out that way."

Noa snorted, but wisely didn't take issue with the insult, mostly because Mokuba had talked to him about it beforehand in anticipation of Seto's bad mood. But despite the apology, the comment still stung a little. Noa knew he was damn good with computers. Seto knew that too. If he were someone else, maybe Seto wouldn't have had a problem in letting him help. But apparently the elder Kaiba still had reservations about him.

Yeah, so they had been through some rough times. And perhaps they still had some unresolved issues between them. Maybe they'd never be one hundred percent comfortable with each other, at least, not the way they were with Mokuba. But Noa wanted to prove to Seto that he was someone he could trust, someone that was worthy of Mokuba. Seto was a fool to not take advantage of the resources at hand.

"We wouldn't have offered if we didn't mean it," Mokuba said slowly. He really wanted to impress upon Seto that he and Noa could handle the work. He was the VP of Kaiba Corp. after all, so why shouldn't he shoulder some of the burden too?

"Besides, you know we're fully capable of filling in for you as far as the programming and stuff. Mokuba and I kick butt as a team," Noa pointed out.

Seto sipped at the coffee, letting the heat and caffeine work through him, waiting for it to lift the fogginess from his mind. "Yeah… I know…"

"… But?"

Seto just shrugged. He wasn't sure what else to say. It was true that Noa especially was good with computers, but he'd never really put him to work on anything as important as this…

"You trust us, don't you?" Mokuba asked. Well, more specifically, the question was, did Seto trust Noa? But he didn't want to phrase it that way; it sounded accusatory.

"Apparently not," Noa answered when Seto failed to respond in a timely enough manner. Mokuba was about to protest, but Noa held his hand up. Enough was enough, he had to say something to make Seto face the facts. "Look, Seto. This hacker thing makes me mad too. I mean, does this Sieg Lloyd jerk really think he can get away with this? That he's better than us?"

"No way," Seto agreed.

"Yeah. So come on, let's trounce him," Noa challenged, his eyes glittering. "No one messes with a Kaiba."

He had a point there. And it was easier for Seto to convince himself that Noa was trustworthy when there was a common enemy who threatened their family's reputation and financial wellbeing. Besides, if nothing else, he was at least convinced that Noa considered Mokuba's happiness and interests his highest priority, so that meant he wouldn't betray him in turn, because it would break Mokuba's heart. Not that Seto doubted his own ability to thwart Sieg's plan unassisted, but he also wasn't stupid enough to throw away any advantage that came his way. Noa would be a great asset. If they worked together on this, they'd be an unstoppable force… Sieg wouldn't stand a chance!

A feral grin slowly spread across Seto's face, then he gestured at an empty seat. "Well, what are you waiting for then? We only have a few hours before the opening ceremony, and I'm certainly not going to let you use my computer…"

"I'll go get mine too!" Mokuba volunteered as Noa dashed up the stairs for his laptop.

The young CEO shook his head at the pair's excitement; it was almost like a game to them. Then again, Mokuba and Noa were still young, practically kids. Maybe they didn't understand how serious this was. Seto wondered if he was expecting too much. Perhaps he ought to find something else for them to do, something like…

_What the…?_

His hands were starting to shake, a sure sign of fatigue. The movement caused ripples to mar the surface of the coffee remaining in the mug. And he couldn't seem to stop it. Angrily, Seto clutched at the cup until his fingers started going numb. He thought he had gotten enough rest between Wednesday afternoon and Friday morning, but apparently he hadn't.

_Damn it! _He couldn't afford to show any weakness in front of the public or the media or the assembled duelists. Sieg and any others like him would take advantage of that. And at the same time, he'd never hear the end of it if Mokuba and Yami realized how tired he was. So he fought down the yawn that was threatening to slip out, fought back the urge to close his eyes, even for just for a moment, and went to get more coffee instead. He was glad Mokuba had made an extra large pot. It was going to be a long morning.

* * *

Noa turned out to be much more helpful than Seto had anticipated, continuing to work even in the car without overt instruction. So thanks to his and Mokuba's assistance, Seto was able to check off several things from his to do list, enabling them to get to the park and prepare for the official grand opening with plenty of time to spare. But after they arrived and held the park's ribbon cutting ceremony for the benefit of the media and the general public, the elder Kaiba stated that he had something to see to, and got back into the limo and left without explaining what exactly it was that required his attention. Yami only knew that Seto seemed rather excited about it, whatever it was, so he let him go without comment. He only hoped that he'd be back on time to attend the tournament's opening ceremony since that was just as important as the opening of the park.

By the time the loud crackling of fireworks and the screams of the assembled spectators heralded the start of the KC Grand Prix, Seto still hadn't come back. But he was somewhere nearby; Yami could sense his presence. And he was bristling with a strange, giddy excitement. He had to be planning something. Yami relayed as much to Mokuba as the teen psyched himself up backstage for his role as the master of ceremonies.

The news put a smile on Mokuba's face, and he confidently told his crimson-eyed guardian, "I figured Nii-sama had something up his sleeve. I just don't know what. But you know how important this is to him… he wouldn't miss this for the world."

Yami just nodded. He had no doubts that Seto would make an appearance. It was his tournament after all. But Isono was already delivering the introductory speech, and Seto was still absent. It was just… odd.

"I have to go in a sec, Yami," Mokuba said, stepping onto the platform that would rise up behind the stage on cue. "Don't worry, he'll be here."

Yami chuckled. It was funny that Mokuba was trying to make him feel better when he was the one that had to go out and address thousands of people in the stands and millions worldwide. "Nervous?"

"Nah. I know what I'm doing," he boasted, microphone in hand, waving goodbye as the platform started moving.

The spiky-haired duelist grinned. Sometimes he forgot that Mokuba had plenty of experience with public appearances, and besides, he was a Kaiba as well as a teenager. What did he know of fear? Yami was sure that he'd do just fine, and so he went to join up with his friends who'd been seated in their own reserved section right on the arena floor, yards away from the door.

As he stepped outside, the sudden brightness made him pause and look up. The stadium's roof had retracted to let in plenty of fresh air and sunlight. And it was a beautiful day… hot and sunny with very few clouds in sight, which allowed for the huge skywritten "KC GRAND PRIX" to be seen for miles around. There was something else up there too, most likely a skywriting plane that had just finished its task and hadn't yet landed…

"Hey, Yami!" Noa called out, his voice barely audible over the cheering of the crowd at Mokuba's showy entrance and enthusiastic greeting. Although they had made great strides with the workload that morning, doing a full data backup in case of something catastrophic, there was a lot more that needed to be done. So Noa still had his laptop open and running, but apparently was taking a break to watch the show.

Yami acknowledged the green-haired teen with a slight tip of his head, then hurried over to take his seat so that he could enjoy the rest of the opening ceremony from the excellent vantage point they'd be blessed with. Seto had done a great job to ensure that Yugi and the others would be well taken care of during their stay at KaibaLand: VIP passes, luxury accommodations, a party bus and an executive jet that even celebrities would be jealous of. Yami hoped that maybe they'd come to a better understanding and appreciation of the type of person Seto really was, for as much as the ex-spirit cared for his friends, he knew that they didn't always think very highly of his sometimes arrogant, sometimes abrasive boyfriend. And that was a difficult thing to accept at times. It wasn't like Seto was giving them special treatment to curry favor either; he was doing it because they were his friends too, even if he wouldn't admit to it.

At least his attempts at being a good host hadn't gone unnoticed by Mokuba and Noa. They were both doing their part to help as well, having decided to split up the task of overseeing the preliminary rounds of duels as officials, and even though Mokuba was currently the one playing host to the whole world as it were, Noa, busy as he was with his other tasks, had been the one to accompany Yugi-tachi to their seats. Just part of being a good host as well as a friend, though frankly, he would rather have been backstage in support of Mokuba instead. Not because Mokuba really needed it, but… he just wanted to tell the younger teen how proud he was of him.

With admiration, Noa watched as Mokuba began going over the tournament rules. He was a natural in front of a crowd, charismatic and engaging. He sounded really professional, and looked the part, too. It wasn't surprising at all then that Mokuba had a number of young female fans in the stands. Noa was slightly wary of them, those girls with stars in their eyes, even though they didn't have a chance in the world of gaining the black-haired teen's affections. But Rebecca was a different matter being an actual acquaintance and all, and the jealous side of him wondered, what was she thinking? Were her eyes trained on Mokuba? Noa hated that he couldn't really see her expression from where he was sitting, and that the cameras weren't on her either. Was she giving Mokuba that coy smile? It wasn't that he didn't trust Mokuba… he knew his boyfriend was more loyal than anyone. But he definitely didn't trust _her_.

A quick glance over at Anzu gave him some reassurance that the "problem" would be addressed soon. He had pulled her aside earlier and asked her to have a chat with Rebecca, making up a story about how Mokuba's girlfriend, a good friend of his of course, would be upset if she found out another girl was making moves on him. Sure, he could have talked to her himself, but he didn't want to seem like a pushy, overbearing older brother sticking his nose in Mokuba's business. And it'd be better coming from another girl, someone who could be sympathetic to Rebecca and her little crush. Of course, it occurred to him that he was essentially asking Anzu to be a pushy, overbearing friend instead, but she had agreed to the request with only a little hesitation.

Applause from the crowd tore Noa away from his introspection. The first matches had been announced it seemed, and according to the "Kaibatron," it would be Katsuya Jounouichi versus Mask the Rock and Leon Wilson against Dr. Richard Goat.

"Oh… Jou's going to have to duel your grandfather," Anzu was telling Yugi and anyone else in earshot as Jou strutted on stage, swearing that he was going to win his duel for sure.

"Yeah. It'll be interesting, that's for sure. Jii-chan won't go easy on him just 'cause he knows him," Yugi responded.

"It's probably better that Katsuya doesn't know that that's Mr. Mutou," Mai added. "Your grandfather is a true duelist, Yugi, and I'm sure he entered the tournament for a good reason. He wouldn't want Katsuya going easy on him either."

Mokuba waited for the crowd to quiet down just a bit, then got back on the mike. No sign of Seto yet, but he knew he'd be showing up soon. He just had to give him a minute more… and then he found the perfect distraction. Swinging his gaze towards the reserved seats, he announced, "Now, before we get these two exciting duels started, I know there's someone we'd all love to hear from. We're privileged to have the current world champion Yugi Mutou attending this tournament and putting his title on the line. So Yugi, why don't you come on up here?"

Yugi blinked and pointed at himself, as if to say, "Who, me?"

Yami smiled sympathetically, but told his other half, _Go on, your fans would love to see you._

_I guess._ The little duelist rose to his feet, then turned to wave to the crowd. _I just wasn't expecting to make an appearance right now._ It wasn't that he really minded the attention even though he was naturally a bit shy, it just… it always amazed him how famous he was, even after many months out of the spotlight. And fame and fortune were never his thing anyway; he was just a guy who enjoyed dueling. But he began to head on up to the stage as asked. It was the least he could do.

A sudden loud roar filled the sky above the stadium, and a collective gasp rose from the crowd as people began pointing up. There was something flying overhead, something which, strange as it sounded, resembled a…

"Isn't that the Blue Eyes White Dragon jet?" Honda asked.

"Sure looks like it," Otogi confirmed.

As for Yami, he was speechless, holding his breath and watching in shocked amazement as his lover _jumped_ out of the plane's cockpit with a jetpack strapped on his back and a huge grin on his face. He was enjoying himself, the nut! All the former Pharaoh could think about was, _What in the… is he insane?? _He didn't know whether to be impressed or horrified – or both – by the young billionaire's bold stunt. Was it worth him breaking his neck just for a bit more publicity? Then again, it did kinda look like fun…

"Well, I'll hand it to Kaiba. He sure knows how to make an entrance," Pegasus said in approval, watching as Seto touched down on the stage, the throngs of impressed spectators screaming his name.

Mokuba had a huge grin on his face as he handed over the microphone. He didn't mind being master of ceremonies, but now that Seto had finally made his appearance, he wanted all eyes on his big brother instead.

"This is the ultimate test of survival, and it will push everyone involved to their limits!" Seto announced dramatically, cutting straight to the chase. "If you came for a friendly game, I suggest you go home. This is a ruthless battle and in the end, only one duelist will remain standing. From this moment forward, KaibaLand is a battlefield! So trust no one…" and he slanted a glance at Sieg, "and may the best duelist win!"

"Lotsa talk from a guy who isn't even dueling," Jou groused. Yugi looked at him a bit oddly, but quickly realized that his friend was expressing disappointment, not anger. Jou had been looking forward to the possibility of dueling Seto and perhaps settling old scores once and for all, but the young CEO wasn't going to be participating. And it was a shame… Seto was an incredible duelist. It was too bad he was too busy with work to enjoy the fruits of his labor.

With the crowd still chanting his name, Seto thrust his fist in the air before motioning for Isono to take over. Frankly, he didn't really care if the general public actually liked him as a person since truly, what did they really know about him? He didn't let many people see past the public persona of CEO, technological wunderkind, elite duelist… But at the same time, he needed to court the public since they were the ones enabling his company to succeed. If it took drawing attention to himself to gain attention for his products, then by all means, he wanted it. Entertainment was as much a commodity as any other thing.

He glanced at the assembled duelists, gauging their reactions. Most of them just stared at him in awe, which was fine, but when his eyes met Sieg's, he only saw cold resentment. It made him smirk.

_Don't like it when I've seen right through you and figured out what you're up to, huh? Yeah, that's right, it's MY fuckin' tournament. Don't you ever forget that, _Seto willed his eyes to convey.

Sieg glared back, then, very slowly, a thin smile emerged, and he tossed his head as if to accept the challenge.

Seto cocked an eyebrow slightly. He didn't like the confidence that Sieg was showing at the moment. The man wasn't ruffled at all. Did Sieg have something else planned then? Of course he did… why wouldn't he? But what was he up to? And were the precautions and security measures Seto had in place enough to stop him? Turning around, the brunette scowled inwardly as he exited the stage. Apparently he had a lot more work to do.

* * *

Yami wondered if he ought to feel guilty about skipping out on Jou and Sugoroku's duel to go see Seto instead, but in a way, it was almost a relief that he had a reason to not attend. Honestly, he didn't know which man he should be cheering for, though he supposed that wasn't the real reason he didn't want to go.

Seto had been working so hard. And as much as he fought to keep Yami from realizing the toll it was taking on him, his mental walls were cracking from the strain. So it was hard for Yami to go and "have fun" when he could feel his lover falling apart. It was making him bitter. Didn't anyone else realize the price Seto was paying to make this tournament happen?

_Aibou always said that the important thing was having fun_, Yami thought to himself as he got off the monorail and began walking to the cluster of tall buildings right outside the park's walls. It was okay for Yugi to be idealistic, he supposed. But for Seto, that wasn't practical. And Yami could see evidence of that all around him. Even here, right by the walls of the theme park, between the strategically placed retail and entertainment centers, Seto had built a business complex. It was an ingenious design, but the layout came about because of business considerations. So it just seemed the ultimate irony then that the crux of what Kaiba Corp. was selling was "fun."

Even though it was a Saturday, there was a full staff working in the Kaiba Corp. America headquarters, most likely because of the grand opening. The employees resembled busy bees flitting around a hive, trying to complete tasks that needed to be done yesterday. It was crowded, and chaotic. So it wasn't surprising that no one said a word to him as he activated the executive's elevator and punched the button for Seto's floor, for who had time to socialize when there was work to be done?

Once he arrived at his lover's office, Yami didn't waste any time, walking right up to the taller man and kissing him soundly. Seto was so tense that his jaws were clenched shut, so Yami gently massaged his lips with his own until he relented a bit, parting them just enough for Yami to slip his tongue through. Yami sighed, and his hands found their way up to Seto's face, tracing the contour of each cheekbone before making their way down the side of Seto's neck, and that's when the brunette reluctantly pulled away.

"Why aren't you out watching the duels with everyone else?" Seto asked. "I'd have thought that at the very least, you'd be there to watch the Mutt get schooled by your grandfather."

Yami couldn't help but smile at Seto's assumption that Sugoroku would win. Personally, he thought they were pretty evenly matched. "I dunno. I thought maybe you needed my support more than they did."

Seto sighed, his eyes softening a little. "I appreciate it, you know I do, but… if you really want to help, just go keep an eye on Sieg Lloyd for me."

"You have countless security people and cameras doing that already," Yami pointed out, squeezing himself between the desk and chair so that he was now straddling long legs. "I'd rather keep an eye on you instead," he purred, now plucking at Seto's tie playfully.

Seto pursed his lips. Was he tempted? Duh, of course… he was busy, not dead. But only one head could be in control of his body, and he opted for the one with the brain in it. "Isn't it pretty obvious that I'm busy?"

The shorter duelist didn't respond verbally, but instead sat himself down on Seto's lap and began working on undoing the belt buckle which bore his name.

"Yami, don't…" Seto began protesting, but the hand snaking down into the front of his slacks effectively reduced his words to moans. Fuck, that felt soooo good!

Yami smirked, pleased with how quickly his boyfriend's cock expanded and hardened at his touch, even with the thin layer of silk separating it from his hand. A few strokes and he was already literally flying out of his seat. Seto wanted this… _needed_ this… Yami was sure of it, but just when he thought he'd won, Seto was pulling his hands out of his pants with an unhappy sound.

"I'm sorry… I can't."

"Seto, you need this. You're so tense… you have to let go of some of that nervous energy."

"But that bastard is up to something!" Seto explained reluctantly, fidgeting as his dick complained about the sudden lack of stimulation. He released Yami's wrists in favor of zipping up his pants, effectively ending the possibility of a romp. "I've worked too hard for this to let someone like him ruin it."

The crimson-eyed man frowned, though he didn't budge from his seat. "He won't. We won't let him. But the tournament isn't the only thing that matters here. We have to take care of you, too."

Seto snorted. "I don't need anyone to 'take care' of me."

Yami felt his anger prickling for a moment. He hated how careless Seto was with himself. He was human – he had to accept that he wasn't indestructible or invulnerable. _You can't really expect me to sit idly by and watch you kill yourself over this,_ Yami complained. But he felt his annoyance dissipate when he leaned forward to rest his weight against Seto's body. The young CEO was so frail now, so thin and worn out; he just couldn't stay angry with him.

Seto tensed up momentarily at the change in Yami's mood. He didn't mean to upset his boyfriend. Figuring he couldn't hide the truth from Yami anyway, he closed his eyes and asked wearily, _What do you expect me to do? This company doesn't run itself you know. Would you rather I put the burden on Mokuba?_

_That's not what I'm saying at all. It's just… you're not alone in this, Kai-baby. _

_Not that I don't have confidence in you, but… right now, this war is being fought on a technological field. It's not exactly your forte. _

_It doesn't matter. I can still help, if you'd allow it…_ Yami told him, actively allowing some of his body's energy to flow into Seto's depleted reserves. It made him a little lightheaded, but at least it was clear what he was intending to do.

Blue eyes suddenly flew open, and he snapped shut that portion of their bond in a near panic. "Yami, no…"

"You're exhausted, Seto. Your body can't run on nothing but willpower for much longer."

"And what about you? How would you function if you… well, I don't even know what to call it…!"

Yami smiled against Seto's neck. _I wouldn't give you all my energy, of course. Just a moderate amount. Just for a little while. Hopefully, it would be enough to help keep you going the rest of the day._

_That's what coffee is for,_ Seto protested weakly.

_It'll be okay. You've done it for me before I think, even though neither one of us realized it at the time. And I even did it a little when you picked us up from the airport, but you were so far gone, you didn't notice._

_Yami…_

_I can't force you to accept it. You'll need to let me back in._

Seto hesitated. He could almost feel something like an electrical buzz right at the edge of his awareness. His body thirsted for it, but he still wasn't convinced that it was safe. _I don't want to hurt you, Yami. I mean, how can you be sure that this won't harm you in the long run? What if… we can't shut it off?_

_As far as I can tell, as long as we keep the pathways open, it would balance itself out anyway._

_But…_

_Trust me._

Seto took a deep breath. He didn't really feel any better about it, but to continue fighting against it was not only a waste of time but an implication of distrust as well. He just hoped to God that Yami was right, that this wouldn't hurt him. He didn't know what he'd do if any harm came to his lover because of this. _All… right…_ he whispered.

The effect was almost immediate. There was a heady rush of warmth that flooded his entire body, and Seto could feel his mind clearing and his senses sharpening. It really was amazing. He hadn't realized that he'd been so tired, having been running on empty for quite a while now.

… _Feel better?_ Yami asked, sagging against Seto in sudden exhaustion. It was more draining than he had anticipated, but he didn't regret it. He'd be fine after a nap. And at least this way, Seto would be able to get his work done.

_Are you sure about this?_ Seto asked, even though it really was too late for them to change their minds without resorting to lots of mental wrangling. And already he was taking advantage of the boost, calculating how much time he had left in the day, and how much more he needed to get done by the end of it.

Yami managed a tiny nod, then, after shifting into a more comfortable sprawl across Seto's body, drifted off to sleep.

* * *

TBC

Author's Notes:  
- Major / notable changes from canon:  
1) This chapter covers episodes 187 and 188, sort of. I won't be covering the Jou vs. Sugoroku duel at all, since the episodes are pretty clear on what happens there and frankly, it's pointless. But I may still chose to touch upon it next chapter.  
2) Yami's with Seto instead of going to cheer his buddies on, duh : )  
- I won't always be doing this (mainly 'cause darn it, I can only find about half this arc on my tapes…) but I copied most of Seto's tournament opening spiel word for word because it suited this fic so well. Of course he sees this as "a ruthless battle" because he's having to deal with the threat of a hacker. And he doesn't trust the duelists that have been invited. And most of all… he's pushing himself to the limit. The only notable thing I left out was his opening line about "All right, I'm going to make this brief" because clearly, for Seto, he wasn't being brief at all!  
- Re: the energy transfer thing. I sorta started playing with this back in "The Boys of Summer" (Yami had heat stroke; he and Seto slept it off), "Aftermath" (Yami's broken leg and bruises healed quicker than anticipated once they were back together) and even in Prologue 2 of "Summer of '69." I like the idea that their link is so deep that even their very life force has bonded. (And please, angst writers, don't ask about what else that would imply : p)  
- It was one of those "sad but true" moments for me when I realized that while Kaiba Corp.produces games, entertainment and assorted other things for kids and those who are young at heart, the person behind it all really never gets to enjoy what he's created. This is really glaringly obvious in the original KCGP where Jou's wondering why Seto isn't participating in his own tournament, and Mokuba tells him that Seto wanted to duel, but was too busy with the opening of the park to be able to do so.


	5. Ch 4: The Hot Generation

Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! is the creation of Kazuki Takahashi. The Hot Generation is a film by Paul Witzig. "Jealousy" is performed and recorded by Queen. This is a not-for-profit fanwork and I do not own any of these characters.

**

* * *

Summer of '69**

**Ch. 4: The Hot Generation**

* * *

"Man, you really had me fooled," Jou was saying as he and Sugoroku left the dueling platform. He was, admittedly… a little embarrassed. He should've known it was Sugoroku he had been dueling. It wasn't like his disguise was that great. But… it really, truly hadn't occurred to him! And now, he felt bad for not figuring it out. Everyone else obviously knew.

The elderly game shop owner chuckled. "Yes, maybe I should go incognito more often!" For someone who had just lost an internationally televised duel, he seemed awfully cheerful.

But Jou thought maybe he ought to feel bad for beating him, too. Sugoroku was in many ways, not only a teacher, but like a grandfather to him as well. How many times during his teen years had he hung out at the shop just to avoid going home and having to deal with his dad? And Sugoroku had not only tolerated him – he had fed him, invited him to stay over when he needed to, and even helped him improve his dueling techniques.

"What's wrong, Jou?" Yugi asked kindly, seeing the uncertain look on his friend's face.

"Nah, it's nuthin'… well, it's just that I feel bad for trash talkin' during the duel. And fer maybe sorta using what I learned from your grandfather against him."

Yugi hung back with Jou as their friends moved off in clumps, chatting excitedly. That was what he liked about Jou… he was a good guy. He really was bothered by the fact that he had beaten his mentor. But he was taking it the wrong way.

"Listen, Jou… you saw Jii-chan's face during the duel, right? And you see how he is now? He had a great time. Sure, he would've liked to win, but for him… this really was about having fun. And he got to play a card that he'd never played before. I'll bet he's more happy about that than anything else."

After a minute's consideration, Jou admitted, "Yeah… I guess you're right." Then he threw his head back and laughed. "Man, I feel a lot better about it…"

"Good! Because I know he wouldn't want to see you moping after winning a spot to advance in the tournament!"

Then Rebecca suddenly interrupted the conversation, dropping back from walking beside her grandfather in favor of talking to Yugi. "Hey, Yugi, you're going to come cheer me on at my duel, right?"

"Your duel?" Jou asked.

She pouted slightly. "Duh. Mokuba just announced that I'll be dueling Miss Viiiiv in a matter of minutes," she said, drawing out the other duelist's name in a mocking voice. "Weren't you guys paying any attention?"

"Sure, we'll be there," Anzu answered for the pair as she wandered over to join her boyfriend, making a point to grab onto Yugi's hand, reminding the younger girl that the spiky-haired duelist was taken.

Rebecca's eyes narrowed slightly at the sight, but she pasted a smile back on her face after a moment. "Oh, great!" she gushed, her voice devoid of any real enthusiasm. Then as if someone had flipped a switch, she suddenly giggled and ran off to join Mokuba.

"What's with her?" Jou inquired. Even he couldn't help noticing the way she was now playfully teasing a rather baffled looking Mokuba.

Anzu didn't say anything, but she was certain she knew what Rebecca was trying to do. That was why when had Noa approached her, she had agreed to have a "girl talk" with Rebecca. But contrary to Noa's concerns, the bespectacled blonde wasn't interested in Mokuba at all, not that Noa could see that past his jealousy. She was just flirting with the youngest Kaiba in a misguided attempt to make Yugi jealous, not realizing that she was drawing attention, and the wrong sort of attention at that, from the wrong parties.

_Love's such a complicated thing,_ the brunette thought to herself. Sure, Rebecca was getting on her nerves at the moment, but Anzu could sympathize with the younger girl; after all, she used to have a crush on Yami, and look at how that had turned out! She almost wished someone had sat her down back then and informed her that she had no chance, that Yami just wasn't interested in girls, rather than have had the rug pulled out from under her as she watched Seto and Yami drive off into the night.

At the same time, she could sympathize with Noa too. Although Noa most likely wasn't aware of it, Yugi had confided in her and quietly informed her of the rather… unique situation in the Kaiba household. He'd been a little bothered by it and needed someone to talk to since Yami didn't seem to think there was anything wrong with it. Anzu herself still wasn't sure what exactly to think of Noa and Mokuba's relationship, but she definitely could understand how… _irritating_ it was to see someone making passes at your boyfriend. Even she understood what it meant to be jealous. And it had to be even harder for someone as quick-tempered as Noa to bite his tongue on the matter, because no matter how he felt, he couldn't risk anyone finding out what his true motivation was. So for those reasons, she agreed to step in.

She really hoped Rebecca would understand what she had to say to her. And even if she didn't… Anzu couldn't really hate her anyway. At least she had good taste in men.

* * *

Leon grinned lopsidedly as he deactivated his Duel Disk, his face flushed with victory. Behind him, his opponent dramatically bemoaned his loss while being attended to by his… nurses? Were those really nurses? Hell, was the man really a doctor? Duel Monsters certainly had a knack for attracting some really odd characters…

"Congratulations," Noa said curtly, approaching Leon as he headed for the exit of the Dragon's Lair Flume ride.

"Uh, thanks?"

A sheepish smile appeared on Noa's face as he realized how short he'd sounded. "Sorry, kinda trying to do multiple things at once here," he explained, closing his laptop for the moment to shake Leon's hand.

Leon accepted, and smiled. "Yeah, I can imagine… you must be super busy."

"You don't know the half of it." Noa flipped open his computer again, then after a few quick keystrokes, said aloud, "Damn, I need to start heading over for the next match – Detective Paul McGregor versus Shane Jordan. Meh."

"Mm." Leon hesitated a moment, then asked, "Can I come along? I'd like to watch too, if that's okay."

"I don't see why not. You can do pretty much whatever you want between duels, just keep your hands and feet inside the car at all times, stay seated while the ride is moving, don't feed the fake sharks, don't make fun of Seto to his face, don't hack, main or torture the card database, blah blah blah," the green-haired teen mumbled as he tried to balance walking with working on his computer.

Leon laughed. The dueling location that they were now leaving had been rather close to some speakers set up for the flume ride, and throughout his duel, they could hear the repetitive safety announcements for passengers boarding the ride. At least he wasn't the only one to have noticed. But Noa had inadvertently revealed something… intriguing. "Hacking? Was that why that dueling computer went nuts yesterday?" Leon asked innocently.

Noa grimaced slightly. He shouldn't have said anything about that, but since that was what his attention had been focused on… "I forgot, you were there too… But, we have it under control now. No one gets past _my_ firewalls," Noa bragged.

"Oh, that's good."

They fell into silence as they continued on towards the Racing Rockets ride, which would be hosting the next duel. Leon found himself scrounging for some excuse to make conversation. Noa was apparently happy to have his face buried in his computer, so he wouldn't be initiating anything anytime soon…

_It's not like I can come out and say, "So, tell me more about your firewalls. Hey, while you're at it, give me all your passwords too." _Leon groaned to himself. He had known what he was getting himself into, but that didn't mean he had to like it. But still, he knew why it had to be done, and he had agreed to it, and here he was with Noa Kaiba, and he knew he ought to be taking advantage of it… _Gosh, just think of something!_ he yelled at himself. "Um, so… you like Duel Monsters?" he finally managed to ask.

"Huh?" Noa looked up for a moment. "Me?"

"Yeah. I mean, you are officiating these matches. Can't imagine why you'd do it if you didn't like the game."

Noa shrugged, then looked around to see if he could spot either of the scheduled duelists. But since they weren't there yet, he figured it would be okay to sit down for a moment.

Carefully balancing the laptop on one thigh, he gestured at the spot next to him on the metal bench, then told Leon, "It's okay. I like it well enough, and I duel with my friends sometimes. I'm pretty good at it actually; I bet I could beat the pants off most the competitors here… not to say that you suck or anything," he added lamely upon seeing the amused look on the redhead's face.

"So why aren't you dueling then? Or are you not allowed, since you work for Kaiba Corp.?"

Noa gave a short snort. "I don't work for Kaiba Corp.," he said curtly.

"Oh." He must've hit a nerve there. "Would you want to?"

Noa didn't answer for a moment, apparently not liking the direction the conversation was headed in. When he finally spoke again, he backtracked and answered the other question. "I'm not dueling because it's not really my thing. Don't get me wrong, I did consider it, but… there was so much speculation that this tournament was being held for the benefit of Mokuba and myself, as a launching pad for our dueling careers… and that drove me crazy! We got tired of being compared to Yami and Seto, so that was that."

"I can understand that," Leon said sincerely. Noa wasn't really anything like he expected. He thought he'd be nothing more than a cocky brat, at least that's what his brother had surmised. But… in a way, he and Noa were a lot alike. It made it easier to talk to him. Cautiously, he added, "I have a big brother who's the toast of my family. He's super smart… a genius actually, and well… then there's me."

"Don't sell yourself short. You got a spot in the tournament, so you must've been doing pretty well. I heard that you're undefeated, actually…"

Leon blushed a little. "Yeah. I wish people would stop fixating on that though. Everyone loses eventually."

Noa just shrugged. Even if it was the truth, it wasn't very reassuring to tell someone, "Don't worry, you'll lose soon enough and then you won't have to worry about it anymore!" But he wasn't sure what else he could say. Luckily, he was saved from having to answer by the arrival of the one of the duelists, Shane Jordan.

Leon watched silently as Noa closed his laptop and stood up to greet the cowboy duelist. He recognized that the conversation was over for now, and it almost made him sad as he had been enjoying it, but… there was no time to think about that. He had a lot to tell his brother. He just hoped that some of the information would prove useful.

* * *

As much as Seto enjoyed having Yami close to him, he finally had to concede that it was very difficult – okay, nearly impossible - to type with a body pinning him down to his chair, no matter how sexy that body was. So reluctantly, he picked up his lover and moved him over to the leather sofa that sat against the wall, taking care to tuck a blanket around him. It bothered him that Yami didn't stir at all throughout the process, but a quick physical and mental check didn't turn up anything unusual. Yami's breathing was even, his pulse strong, his dreaming mind placid and serene. He was just very deeply asleep, apparently.

_Well, so far, it's working better than I'd hoped,_ Seto thought to himself. His headache was nearly gone and his muscles no longer felt weak and watery. The keyboard no longer appealed to him as a makeshift pillow. He felt like he could do ten things at once with all the energy he had. Okay, maybe that was overly optimistic, but it certainly didn't stop him from trying. In between continued adjustments to his anti-viral programs and running a second complete data backup, he was going through each duelist's application with a careful eye, ordering background checks and getting verification on even the most minute detail. On the widescreen on the far wall, he was even able to keep an eye on the security center as they screened images from the cameras dotting the park, as well as watch the duels taking place on park grounds. The second round of preliminaries were just getting started now.

It did surprise him a little that Jou had beaten Sugoroku to advance to the semifinals. Not that he thought the blonde was completely incompetent as a duelist – though of course he'd never admit to that – but the old man should've been better. Seto was a little disappointed… what was the point of entering a tournament if you weren't going to give it your all? It just seemed to him that maybe Sugoroku went easy on Jou because he felt sorry for him or something, or maybe he'd been too obsessed with summoning his Ancient Dragon to duel effectively.

Seto shook his head. Since neither he nor Yami were participating, he supposed it didn't really matter who dueled whom or who beat whom as long as the viewing public were happy with what they were seeing. But then again, he didn't have much faith in the public's perception of "quality" entertainment. People were so fickle, so ready to discard their old heroes to embrace the next rising star of the dueling world… did they really prefer seeing duelists that were all flash and pizzazz over substance? He didn't mean to be so bitter about it – after all, the tournament was looking like a huge success – but he hated that in the end, the best result that he could hope for was that Yugi would retain his title, because certainly there weren't many other high caliber participants in the tournament.

Maybe he should have entered, as Yami had suggested months ago. But he knew even back then that he wouldn't have the time for it. Considering how things were going now with the hacker situation and all, it seemed like a wise decision, and he was glad he went that route.

And yet… something had told him that he ought to bring his deck with him to America, and so he had. It had been sitting for months now in one of his desk drawers, half forgotten. So why was he now unlocking and opening the drawer, fingering the familiar stack of cards as if they were trying to tell him something?

Abruptly, he withdrew his hand and angrily slammed the drawer shut. He didn't have time to think about games… he had a ton of work to do and the perfect opportunity to get most of it done. Whatever it was that was niggling at him would have to wait until later.

* * *

Over at the Blue Eyes White Dragon Train Station, site of Rebecca and Vivian's duel, Anzu had her hands full of a problem of a different nature. She and the others were standing on the bridge overlooking the station, watching as the duel below unfolded. Vivian had her Dragon Lady on the field, facing off against Rebecca's Fire Princess and Injection Fairy Lily. The duel had been pretty exciting thus far, but there was something unusual going on, something that wasn't part of most duels. The two ladies were showing off… for Yugi.

Perhaps "showing off" was too mild a description for it. Vivian was bouncing around like a hyperactive kangaroo, winking at Yugi every now and then. She must've figured that she had zero chance with Seto and Yami, so she was now setting her sights solely on Yugi, ignoring the fact that he already had a girlfriend. Rebecca was only moderately better, furtively stealing glances up at the group, smiling when Yugi's eyes fell on her…

Anzu was a bit miffed; she couldn't help it. But Yugi was standing right alongside her, his arm resting comfortably around her waist, his cheek gently pressing against her shoulder every now and then. Even as he cheered encouragement to Rebecca and bantered with Jou, Honda, Otogi, Malik and Valon, he never left her side and never let go. It was nice, and more importantly, it was reassuring, especially after what had happened at the tournament registration party. Not that Anzu really thought that Yugi would've run off with Vivian or anything, but she hadn't been happy about it, and so even though it hadn't been his fault, Yugi had apologized for what had happened anyway. That was just the kind of guy he was. No wonder he had other girls after him!

She wondered how Rebecca would react to what she needed to tell her. And she wondered when she should do it. After the duel perhaps, though that depended on the result… If Rebecca won and progressed to the quarterfinals, Anzu figured she should hold off on talking to her since it'd be mean to distract her while she was trying to mentally prep for her next duel. After all, she did consider Rebecca a friend, and she really did want to see her perform well in the tournament.

"So, any last words, Viv? 'Cause this duel is about to end," Rebecca was saying with confidencey. Anzu could see her sneaking yet another glance at Yugi, and mentally groaned. "First, thanks to Marie the Fallen One, my life points increase by 200, so now I'm at 700. Next, Fire Princess' special effect kicks in, reducing your life points by 500…"

"I may only have 400 life points left, but you still don't have anything that can beat my Dragon Lady!" Vivian haughtily reminded her opponent.

"You didn't let me finish! Next, I'll sacrifice my Fire Princess and Injection Fairy Lily to summon Guardian Angel Joan."

Vivian's eyes widened at Guardian Angel Joan's 2800 attack points, but then she made a quick mental calculation and let out a short laugh. "Even if you destroy Dragon Lady, I'll still have enough life points left to make a comeback!"

Rebecca smirked. "Not quite. Because now I play the magic card Silent Doom, which lets me bring back one monster from the graveyard in defense mode, and I choose Fire Princess! And did I forget to mention? Guardian Angel Joan's special effect raises my life points by the attack of the monster she destroys!"

"Oh… oh no!" Vivian gasped as she realized the implication of that.

Inwardly, Rebecca was doing backflips. She knew Yugi was watching her, and she bet he was impressed by her strategic dueling techniques. She could hardly wait to ask him what he thought… "Now go, Guardian Angel Joan, attack her Dragon Lady!"

The holograms clashed in combat, and Rebecca's monster defeated her opponent, bringing Vivian to the brink of losing with only 100 life points, which were immediately lost as Fire Princess' special effect triggered yet again.

"Yes!!!" While Rebecca jumped up and down in joy, Vivian sank to her knees, stunned that she had just lost an important duel to a young teen. Worse yet, she had lost in front of the world champion, several renowned duelists, the game creator himself... and an international television audience! Oooh, she was so mad!

"This isn't over!" Vivian yelled, stomping her foot in frustration. Okay, so maybe it was over. For the moment. But the next time they faced off, she'd show that blonde brat a thing or two!

"Whatever, Viiiiiv!" Rebecca shouted back, sticking her tongue out at the woman before running up the stairs to the bridge above to look for her darling Yugi. She was certain that he'd be impressed with her dueling prowess. _Did you see what I just did, Yugi? Viv didn't even stand a chance! _Rebecca thought to herself, almost giggling out loud in her glee.

But when Rebecca finally rejoined her friends, her euphoric mood soured a little. Yes, Yugi was smiling at her and congratulating her, but he had Anzu by his side. And he was holding her hand. Rebecca didn't get it, she really didn't. Why Anzu? Sure, the other girl at least knew the difference between a magic card and a trap card, but she wasn't _really_ a duelist, and she certainly didn't play at the level that Yugi did. And while the other girl wasn't stupid, Rebecca was certain her IQ was much higher. So what was it about Anzu that Yugi liked so much? Was she more fun to be with, or did he just think she was prettier with that dancer's body, or…?

With a small shake of her head to clear her mind of unprofitable thoughts, Rebecca went and turned her attention to Mokuba instead, flashing a big smile at him and reaching out for his hand while subtly keeping an eye on Yugi. Yup, there it was again… her violet-eyed dream man was staring at her once more. She bet it was just driving Yugi nuts to know that here she was, the perfect girlfriend, paying so much attention to Mokuba and practically ignoring him. If she could just keep it going a little longer, Yugi would come around. He'd see that he was really missing out on a great opportunity and ask her out, and then everything would be just wonderful.

* * *

As busy as Seto was with work, he managed to keep one eye on the screen mounted to the wall. Try as he might, he couldn't resist watching the duels taking place, analyzing them, turning them over in his head... Boy, he had seen some really amateurish mistakes – what was Dr. Goat thinking, playing his Blue Medicine magic card at such a crucial point in his match? No wonder he lost… he practically handed victory to Leon on a silver platter. Anyone who wasn't going to play to the utmost of their abilities deserved to lose.

He had watched Rebecca beat Vivian, and Paul McGregor triumph over Shane Jordan. Now Sieg Lloyd was up, facing off against Fortune Salim while Noa observed from the sidelines, cautious alertness etched onto his face. Seto's eyes focused sharply on the screen. This was a match he had to watch, and luckily, it had just begun…

"What the hell?!" Seto yelled, leaping to his feet so suddenly that his chair rocked back from his desk. _There was no way that just happened…_

Sieg had just won. In a single turn. In disbelief, the young billionaire rubbed at his eyes, certain that he was hallucinating, but when he looked again, sure enough, the smug German was smirking at the camera, blowing kisses at it, rubbing his win in Seto's face as a stunned Noa stuttered his way through announcing the official result. The winner was… Sieg Lloyd.

Pissed off didn't even begin to describe Seto's mood. Here he was, stressed out and struggling to keep everything going smoothly so that all the park's guests and television viewers would have a good time, and not only was this jerk out to ruin him, unraveling all his hard work, but now he was showboating too?!

"FUCK!" he screamed, all thoughts of programming and data management temporarily forgotten. All he wanted to do was rush down there and knock the smile off that bastard's face with his fists. It didn't matter what kind of duelist he was, or how talented a hacker he was… Seto bet he could turn the guy into mincemeat in under a minute. Fists clenched, he sidled by his desk and began stomping towards the door, but before he had made it more than a few feet, a soft noise caught his attention.

_Yami?_ The crimson-eyed man was still asleep despite the ruckus, but he had rolled over with a groan and was frowning now in his sleep, as if he disapproved of what Seto had been planning to do.

Suddenly feeling guilty, the brunette closed his eyes and took a deep breath and tried to will himself to calm down. _It's not worth it… it's not worth it to kill someone on live television… Yami wouldn't like that, _he told himself. He wasn't sure if it was working though. He only felt marginally better.

"Need to think of something… to take my mind off this shit," Seto mumbled to himself. At least his feet were carrying him back to his desk, which was a good thing. He sat down, intending to get some more work done, but he literally couldn't concentrate. All he could think of was that bastard grinning at the camera, revelling in his victory as if the tournament was all about _him_. Well, it wasn't! This was the KAIBA Corp. Grand Prix, not... Sieg Lloyd's Grand Prix! Seto needed to do something to distract himself, anything… and then he thought of something that just might prove to be useful after all…

Slowly, Seto reach for the drawer that he had just slammed shut a short time prior, and pulled out his cards. _This was why I brought them with me, isn't it?_ he found himself wondering as he pulled all three Blue Eyes White Dragons from the stack without even having to look. He had always wondered how he managed to do that, but at the same time, he accepted it as confirmation of what he was beginning to suspect. If Sieg liked playing games so much, Seto would have to get involved sooner or later. It should have made him mad, but… it excited him too.

He wasn't the King of Games, but if Yami and Yugi were right about what they'd been saying for years, there was something to be said about stopping and listening to what the cards were trying to say. And he had always believed in his dragons. So against his better judgement, he spread out the remaining cards face _down_ on his desk, took a deep breath, and let his Blue Eyes guide him in gathering 37 more cards to complete the deck.

* * *

TBC

Author's Notes:   
- Major / notable changes from canon:  
1) This chapter covers the empty space between episodes 188 and 189, and 189 as well.  
2) Insector Haga and Dinosaur Ryuuzaki have been omitted… I don't see the point in trying to sneak them in. I just needed someone to lose to Sieg : )  
3) Sugoroku isn't falling head over heels for Vivian. While I'm sure that he can appreciate a beautiful young lady, even at his age, it seemed so arbitrary for him to forget about everything else (i.e. Rebecca dueling) just to make googly eyes at her. So because of that, I don't know what I'll end up doing with Vivian and her plotline from episodes 192 and 193 (most likely, absolutely nothing).  
- Yes, Blue Medicine is a real card (it increases both player's life points by 400). I looked it up since I needed a card with a name that was medically related. For a doctor, of course!  
- Re: Seto assembling his deck face down. I wanted to show that Seto's progressed to the point that he really does believe in (himself) his dragons and his deck : ) So he's letting the BEWDs guild him in building his deck instead of trying to analyze the cards at his disposal. The significance of this will (hopefully) be more obvious later on, but I can't say too much or I'll give away the surprise!


	6. Ch 5: Full Blast

Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! is the creation of Kazuki Takahashi. Full Blast is a film by Curt Mastalka. "You Gotta Be" is performed and recorded by Des'ree. This is a not-for-profit fanwork and I do not own any of these characters.

* * *

**Summer of '69**

**Ch. 5: Full Blast**

* * *

Yugi-tachi, the younger Kaiba brothers, and the various tournament participants reconvened in a waiting room behind the scenes at the Kaiba Dome California while Isono addressed the crowd, announcing the drawing of the semifinal match-ups. The two semifinal duels would be the last of the day; the finals would be held late the next morning, and the special world championship match against Yugi would come after that.

Twelve duelists were out… only four remained. Jou has defeated Balfry Ginger to advance, and Rebecca had beaten Abe the monkey man for her spot. The other two remaining duelists were Sieg Lloyd, who had defeated Paul McGregor earlier, and Leon Wilson, who had defeated Ethan Shark. But although the majority of the duelists had already been eliminated, they were being allowed to stay for the duration of the tournament. It was a usual perk of participating.

But that made things a bit hectic for Noa, Mokuba and the Kaiba Corp. security team. They were trying to keep an eye on everything going on, and it just wasn't happening. Not even the multiple cameras could capture every movement of every person in the large room they were in, and of course, in a matter of minutes the duelists would all disperse in different directions. And Mokuba knew that. They would needed to tap all their available resources to ensure that the tournament would continue to run smoothly. So he pulled Noa aside and led him to a small meeting room just down the hall. He had an idea, and wanted to run it by his boyfriend.

"What's up?" Noa asked tiredly. He really wanted the day to be over with. Between Rebecca, and the tournament, and the programming… he really could use a nap.

Mokuba motioned for the green-haired teen to shut the door, then went ahead and disabled the security camera for the room. He wasn't crazy about being watched all the time, and it was just the two of them in there anyway. The room had a narrow window as well, but since no one was about in the hallway, it didn't really matter that the blinds hadn't yet been installed.

After signing out of the virtual security center on his laptop, Mokuba hoisted himself up so that he was sitting on the table in the center of the room. "I think we should ask Yugi and the others to help us keep an eye on Sieg Lloyd and the other duelists. I mean, I know they already volunteered to help, but… like, I want them to keep an extra close watch on everyone. And that means they'll have to split up for the next round."

Noa mulled it over a minute. It made sense. Yugi-tachi were a large group, and yet they could still mingle with the duelists in a way that the security force could not. And they already knew there was a hacker, and had already promised to help if they could. But Seto wouldn't like it. He'd say they were his guests. He'd say it was a private matter, a business matter. But Seto wasn't there, and Mokuba's idea was a good one… "I think it's a great idea, but… I'm not sure what Nii-sama would say."

The black-haired teen grimaced. "But we're tournament officials, so isn't this sorta something for us to decide? Besides, he's so busy… I'd really hate to bother him if we don't have to," Mokuba admitted. "Plus, they're our friends. And friends do favors for each other."

Noa smiled thinly. Mokuba was really persuasive. But he sincerely hoped that Mokuba would remember all his reasons if Seto questioned them on their decision later on. "I'll support whatever you decide," he said, glad of the privacy that allowed him to reach out and interlace his fingers with Mokuba's. He'd been wanting to do that all day.

Mokuba looked down at their joined hands, then with a soft sigh, changed the subject. "You know I'm not interested in her. Rebecca, I mean. So why is it bothering you so much?"

Noa snorted. He had told Mokuba of his concerns earlier in the day, during a similar break… "I dunno. Maybe 'cause she's still hitting on you?" Noa responded snidely. "Anzu said she'd talk to her, but either she hasn't done it yet, or Rebecca's stupid. I'd wager it's the former."

"But why does it matter? Don't you trust me?"

"Of course I do!" Noa answered. And he meant it.

"So then…?"

"It just… it just does. I don't know why." His face flushed a little.

Mokuba gave Noa a hesitant smile, then leaned forward to give him a very quick, light kiss. "You're so jealous, but… I kinda like it." He squeezed his boyfriend's hands a little, in lieu of a hug.

"Um…"

"Don't worry about it," Mokuba teased, but then he checked his watch and grew somber. They both had duties to perform; there was no time to screw around. "We better get back then, before everyone notices we're gone. The next round of duels will be starting soon."

Noa reluctantly nodded in agreement as Mokuba went to reactivate the room's security camera. Neither one of them noticed the pair of wide jade green eyes peering into the window of the conference room…

Leon quickly scrambled for the entrance of the men's restroom as the door opened and the pair returned to the waiting area. His heart was pounding. He did NOT expect to see anything like that! He had just gone to use the bathroom and saw the lights on, and his curiosity had gotten the better of him, and…

Was that the break they needed to get Kaiba Corp. out of the way? He didn't recall ever seeing anything in the news or tabloids about the two younger brothers, at least, nothing like that. A little information leak, and Seto Kaiba would have a lot more to worry about than a computer virus or a hacker. It had the potential of being a million times more devastating to the Kaiba's. His big brother would want to know, and yet…

_Should I tell him?_ Leon wondered. He was faced with a real dilemma. He was loyal to his family, especially his brother… and he wanted to see him succeed. The many years of studying and hard work should have paid off for his brother, but in the blink of an eye, Seto had swept in and stolen away the spotlight from their family's company. But at the same time, it didn't feel… right. He sorta liked Mokuba and Noa. He'd gotten to know them a little during the course of the tournament. They were nice guys, the type he could imagine befriending... It would be exceedingly unfair to exploit their relationship for what, a business opportunity?

Well, he didn't need to make a decision right away. So he tucked the memory of what he saw into a corner of his mind, and headed back towards the waiting room. No reason to garner suspicion, at least, not yet. Not while he was undecided.

* * *

Mokuba waited to talk to his friends until everyone began filing out of the room for the next round of duels. Rebecca would be facing Leon. Jou would be taking on Sieg. At least that would make it easy to keep an eye on the pink-haired man.

"Hey, Yugi, guys… can I talk to you all for a quick sec? Privately?" Mokuba asked as everyone emptied into the hallway.

Leon shrugged and went to leave with Sieg and the other duelists, but Mokuba suddenly stopped him and gave him a reassuring smile.

"It's okay, maybe you can help too," Noa said out loud, echoing Mokuba's sentiment. "When you're not dueling, of course."

"Oh… I guess so; sure!" Leon answered. Truthfully, he was surprised at how easily they had accepted him into their little group, and his mind wandered back to what he had witnessed earlier…

"We'll all be glad to help, however we can," Amelda spoke up. Several heads bobbed behind him.

Once he made sure the coast was clear, Mokuba asked the group, "Remember how you guys said you'd help keep an eye out for anything suspicious with the other duelists? Would you mind taking that one step further?"

"What do you mean?" Sugoroku asked.

"There's only two duels this round. But, there's already been twelve duelists eliminated. So I was thinking, maybe you could all split up and follow the other competitors around…" Mokuba's voice trailed off. It sounded weird. And he realized, since both Jou and Rebecca were still in the tournament, everyone probably wanted to go support them instead.

Otogi rubbed his chin. "It's not a bad idea, actually. Though, I guess Jou and Rebecca… and Leon are already covered."

Mokuba frowned. "Maybe it was a bad idea. I know you guys want to watch them duel… I know it's the semifinals…."

"We'd have been split up anyway, since both duels take place in matching time slots," Bakura pointed out. "So I guess Malik and I can tail a few of the participants, if… you don't mind us missing your duel, Jou?"

The brown-eyed blonde considered it, then waved his hand. "Nah, it's okay. You guys have been great so far. Just… cheer me on from wherever you're at!"

Bakura nodded in agreement. "Of course."

"Thanks, Bakura," Noa said, tilting his head in acknowledgement.

"Then Rishid and I will do the same," Ishizu offered.

"I'll go with Valon, and Amelda and Rafael can team up as well," Pegasus added. Mokuba gave him a grateful look, surprised at how amenable he was to the idea.

"Well… man, I'd like to attend Jou's duel. But I guess Otogi and I can pair up too, seeing how this is important to you and all," Honda said. He glanced at Shizuka and Otogi, as if confirming his decision with them, then turned to Jou and Rebecca and barked, "Hey Rebecca, good luck against… well…" He chuckled, suddenly realizing that Leon was still there. He needed to revise his statement then… "Good luck, both of you. And Jou, you better kick Sieg's ass!"

"You know I will, totally!" Jou asserted. Truthfully, he was going to miss having all his friends there to cheer him on. But… it was just for a single duel. He was confident that he'd advance and then they could cheer for him the next morning. And at least they'd all be watching him on the telecast this afternoon.

Yugi stood with the unassigned remainder of the group as the various "teams" began leaving to trail the other duelists. He felt a little guilty for not volunteering to help, but… he really did want to be there for Jou. It was bad enough that he wasn't going to make it to Rebecca's duel; he didn't think he could handle missing his best friend's as well.

Now that he thought about it, it really sucked… This wasn't how he thought the tournament would turn out! They were there to have fun, to participate in some friendly dueling; it was supposed to be a vacation! Why did everything always have to go wrong?

"Yugi?" Sugoroku called out, a little concerned over the sudden sadness in his grandson's expression.

"Wha…? Oh, sorry, I was just thinking…"

"About what?" Rebecca asked innocently, turning her attention from Mokuba to Yugi and back with a fluttering of lashes.

"It's just… unfair," Yugi blurted out. "Why can't we be in a normal tournament for once, where we can just have fun?"

"Believe me, this isn't what we wanted ei…" Mokuba pointed out, but Noa suddenly cut him off with a surprising burst of anger.

"Unfair? You want to talk about unfair… Seto's working his ass off to try to keep the situation from worsening. You think this is fun for him? For Yami? For us?"

Yugi gawked at Noa, stunned by his vehemance. He hadn't meant it like that. He hadn't even mentioned Seto, or Yami. But Noa was right, even if he could've worded it a little nicer. Yugi thought about his other half, how subdued he'd been since they arrived, how he had apologetically slunk away to be with his lover. And they'd all seen Seto. Despite his professionalism in his presentation, it was clear that he needed a lot of rest and a dozen hearty meals. Trying to deal with the tournament, and the theme park opening, and the hacker… it had to be a lot, even for someone as organized as Seto to handle. "Sorry… I didn't…"

Anzu suddenly put her hand on Yugi's arm, then surprisingly, stepped forward, pulling Noa aside to talk to him. Yugi marveled at his girlfriend's boldness as she spoke briefly to the green-haired teen, then returned to his side with a hesitant smile. He wondered what she had said to him. At least Noa looked a little calmer now.

"I shouldn't have snapped at you like that," Noa said haltingly, folding his arms just as Seto would. It wasn't much of an apology. He certainly wasn't upset about what he had said. But Mokuba was staring at him rather expectantly, so Yugi figured it was best to just accept the apology and move on.

"All right, so then, who's gonna come with me, and who's goin' with Rebecca and Leon?" Jou asked into the uncomfortable silence that had settled over the group. "Mai, Shizuka…?"

"Don't forget Yugi and me," Anzu added.

Rebecca frowned slightly, but turned to her grandfather and said, "You'll be in my corner at least, right Grandpa?"

"Of course," Professor Hopkins responded. "And Sugoroku, would you like to accompany us as well?"

Considering how much support Jou had in his corner, Sugoroku agreed. He was sure that the younger man would do fine anyway, since Jou had already proven himself earlier.

"I'll be going with you as well Rebecca, to oversee your duel," Noa stated crisply, which meant that Mokuba would be officiating Jou's duel. He gave Leon a small nod of acknowledgement, realizing that he didn't have anyone there to cheer him on, then continued on to say, "And Yugi, Anzu… all you guys, make sure to keep a close eye on Sieg Lloyd… he's the one Seto's most suspicious of."

"Really?" Jou asked. It sounded almost… dangerous, but he knew he could handle the guy if it came down to it. That pretty boy probably never even threw a punch before in his life! "Hahah, don't worry, I'm gonna trounce that guy so bad, he's gonna wish he never left Germany!" the blonde bragged, a confident grin on his face.

"I bet. You'll do great!" Yugi cheered, but deep down, he was worried. So Sieg was the suspected hacker? If that was the case, why was he being allowed to wander the park without a security team following him? Or maybe there was one assigned to him, a super secretive team, and they just hadn't noticed… But even if Seto was wrong and Sieg wasn't the hacker, he was still someone to be reckoned with. They had all seen his previous duels, and how he had one-shot Fortune Salim and then did in Paul McGregor in just two turns with his Ride of the Valkyries card. How much of a chance did Jou stand against Sieg if he kept drawing opening hands like that?

"Hey Yug, stop moping an' let's go!" Jou yelled.

Yugi nodded, and ran to catch up. He couldn't help but smile at Jou's enthusiasm, at his confidence in himself and his deck. That's what made Jou a great duelist. If Sieg thought he'd just steamroll over the competition, he was wrong. He was about to meet his match.

* * *

As the final duels of the day got underway, Seto wondered if he ought to be relieved that nothing bad had happened so far, or if he should be worried about it instead. No computer viruses, no attempted break-ins of the database… really, everything was going about as well as he'd hoped. Almost _too_ well. So… why hadn't Sieg made his move? Had he been so easily thwarted by the new firewalls and updated antiviral software? Or was it because he'd been unnerved by the constant scrutiny he was under, thanks to the security team? Or maybe… he just hadn't put his next plan into effect yet? Well, no matter… Seto wasn't going to let his guard down for a second, though truthfully, he'd feel a bit relieved if his company could make it through the rest of the day unscathed.

Putting aside his work for just a moment, the brunette trained his eyes on the widescreen on the wall. He had both duels onscreen, though Jou's duel against Sieg took precedence due to the parties involved. The match had just begun, and each man had one card face down on the field. Pretty standard stuff so far, but he was confident that it'd improve shortly.

Seto would never admit to it, but he found himself rooting for Jounouichi. He told himself he only cared because he wanted Sieg to lose. But… he knew that wasn't the whole truth. Yes, he wanted to see Sieg on his knees, humiliated. But it'd be nice if Jou and Rebecca made it to the finals. He bet that'd make Yami happy, and Mokuba and Noa too. And, he supposed, there were _worse_ people who could be in the finals, like… well… someone else…

_Now what's that bastard up to?_ Seto found himself wondering as a smirking Sieg unexpectedly looked up at the camera at the beginning of Jou's turn. Then suddenly, his blonde opponent jumped back with a yelp as jets of flame erupted from the ground, missing him by inches. Seto started as Sieg's smirk grew noticeably. Even though the flames were part of the attraction and about as safe as could be, they were still real, and Mokuba was in there! _What the… what's going on? That's not supposed to happen!_

He turned his attention to the smaller inset image in the corner; Rebecca and Leon were hopping around as the tiny cars in Miniatureland seemingly converged on them, ramming into their ankles. Noa was ducking out of the way of a model plane. Spectators in the background were yelling and running around. So it wasn't just a glitch…

Angry at himself for taking his eyes off his work, even for a moment, Seto flipped open his laptop again and was greeted by flashing warnings from his antivirus programs.

"Damn it!" He instantly began trying to isolate the virus to take it down, glancing up every now and then to see if things were improving. Mokuba, Noa, and the gang all seemed to be okay for the moment, and the duelists gamely soldiered forth amidst all the confusion. But despite that, this was a disaster in the making, even with Isono's calm reassurances to the crowd overlaying the play-by-play of the duels. The matches were being aired live, and worse yet, all around the park, pandemonium had broken loose. The Ferris wheel wouldn't stop rotating, the lights inside the House of Horrors had gone out while the ones outside flashed madly, the BEWD Roller Coaster cars had come to a stop in the middle of the tracks. All the chaos was making the theme park look like a half-assed, unfinished, glitchy liability, when Seto _knew_ all the systems had been functioning properly before the park had opened! But who would believe him? No one in their right mind would want to visit a park that had attractions that were out of control and dangerous!

On the sofa, Yami tossed restlessly in his sleep as Seto frantically sought to regain control over the computer systems. Because Yami's mind had to stay anchored to Seto's to enable the energy transfer, he was mentally being tossed about like a boat on a stormy sea. The young CEO was aware of what was happening, but as much as he hated it, there wasn't much he could do about Yami's discomfort at the moment. He couldn't afford to shut off the energy feed. He needed it to be able to concentrate on his task.

Time felt like it was moving by impossibly fast as Seto struggled to deal with the virus, but a quick glance at the clock showed him that literally only a few minutes had passed by. Still, he knew that every moment counted. He didn't know what sort of damage the virus had done to his systems, or what exactly it was doing to his theme park. God, people might have been hurt by some of the uncontrollable rides…

Suddenly, Seto realized something. He quickly accessed a security camera for the House of Horrors attraction, and stared at the screen. The flashing of lights… it seemed familiar somehow… and then he remembered something he'd seen years before. It was at a party Gozaburo had thrown for some European contacts. One of the men, a German weapons manufacturer named von Schroider, had brought his son along. The kid had been a computer whiz. He had somehow hacked into the old KC mainframe and set the lights in the ballroom flickering, not that he ever fully confessed to it. It had been an innocent enough diversion at the time, one that Seto hadn't minded since it sent Gozaburo into a tizzy fit for an evening, but now…

_Looks like the kid's grown up. And his pranks aren't so innocent anymore, _Seto bitterly thought to himself. At least now he knew who Sieg Lloyd really was, and at least he now had a clue on what to look for as far as the virus.

Sure enough, just a few minutes later, Seto managed to isolate the programs the virus had infiltrated, and by using a backup set of data to circumvent the problem areas, he regained control over the park's functions. With relief, he watched as the flames in the Volcanic Pit subsided and the other afflicted rides became operational once again. But it wasn't over yet. Now he needed to get reports from all areas of the park to make sure there were no injuries or damage from what Sieg had done, and quite clearly… clearly, he was looking at another sleepless night. Obviously, his firewalls and antiviral programs weren't enough. But just how had Sieg infiltrated his system?

A sudden loud thump made Seto look up, and then almost immediately, he was up on his feet and running for the other side of the room. Yami had literally pitched himself off the sofa from all of his thrashing, and was now trying sitting up, seemingly disoriented.

"Are you okay?" the brunette asked breathlessly as he reached his boyfriend. He immediately reached down and helped Yami up, getting him back onto the sofa.

Yami groaned softly, then put his hand over his mouth. "Kinda nauseous…" he managed to mumble. He felt like he'd been shaken violently, and was seeing afterimages of all sorts of crazy things.

"It's all right… I'm sorry," Seto said softly, pulling Yami's body against his. He tried to calm himself down, telling himself that Yami wasn't going to feel better until he did, but at the same time, he felt so guilty…

"Mm… Seto, what happened?" The former Pharaoh remembered dreaming about jets of fire shooting up from the ground, and row upon row of indecipherable data, and a faint recollection of a boy who seemed so familiar… _Is that… Sieg Lloyd?_

Seto didn't answer at first, then, as if figuring Yami had a right to know, told him, _Yes, I think so. But that kid… his name was von Schroider. Siegfried von Schroider._

Yami focused on that memory of Sieg, pulling it from the realm of dream into memory. _How did you meet him?_

Seto snorted. _His father's company manufactured weapons. Sound familiar? It was inevitable that the von Schroiders would cross paths with Gozaburo._

_So this is some sort of revenge then? Against Gozaburo?_

_Maybe. Funny, isn't it? People seem to get us confused…_ Seto responded mirthlessly.

Yami frowned, and leaned tiredly against his lover. Any mention of Gozaburo put Seto into a bad mood, but he wasn't going to let his boyfriend wallow in his bitterness. "It doesn't matter; whatever his problem is, it doesn't give him the right to do this. And he's involving other people. Seto, is everyone all right?"

Blue eyes flickered to the screen on the wall. Isono had stopped making safety announcements, so Seto was hopeful that things were going all right in the park. And the duels were still continuing on, as if nothing had happened. "Far as I know. Though the Mutt is struggling… he just lost his Panther Warrior and Knight of Dark Dragon."

"Jou will be all right, as long as he doesn't let Sieg get to him." Yami yawned.

"And you?" Seto couldn't help the concern that seeped into his voice. Yami seemed exhausted, as if he'd been the one who had stayed up all night. His head was lolling against Seto's shoulder now, and his eyes were closed. Seto began considering shutting down the channel of their connection that was allowing him to leech energy from Yami… it wasn't worth it, if it was going to drain Yami that badly.

_Don't, _Yami protested weakly before Seto even had a chance to begin to focus on that aspect of their bond. _Just a little tired. Just need… sleep._

_Yami, this isn't worth it… _

_I know what I'm doing,_ Yami told him, a touch of irritation in his mental voice. _It'll be okay. Trust me?_

Seto nodded slowly. _Of course. _But that didn't mean he wasn't worried. He stayed by Yami's side until he felt him sink back into a sound sleep, then tucked him back under the blanket again before getting up to return to his desk.

But before Seto made it back, he took one last look at the telecast of the matches, and shook his head at what he saw. Jou had staged an admirable comeback from the looks of it; Sieg was down to only 100 life points, but from the expression on his face, he was more than confident in his ability to win, as he had managed to boost his Valkyrie Brunhilde's attack power to a whopping 5000 by playing a magic card, Rainbow Bridge Bifrost. Jou was practically defenseless as his only monster on the field had 3100 attack points, not enough to save him from losing the duel if Sieg attacked. But as Sieg sent his Valkyrie in for the kill, the blonde played a face down trap card, Compensation Mediation.

_God, is that fool really relying on nothing but luck?_ Seto angrily asked himself. Granted, there wasn't much else he could do at that point, but all that card could do was grant him refuge for a single turn if he managed to select it from the three Sieg now held in his hand. After a tense moment, Jou selected the middle one…

As soon as Seto saw Sieg turn over his Swan Maiden spell card, he sat down at his desk and switched the widescreen back to monitoring the security center. No point in watching Jou whining about his loss, or Sieg gloating over his victory, if it could be called that. Really, it wasn't much of a win when one's opponent was a mediocre duelist like Jou. What Sieg needed was a _real_ opponent…

Seto reached for the deck in his jacket pocket, feeling compelled to touch it. It almost felt warm – alive even. Surely, his dragons agreed with him. It wasn't going to be enough to simply stop Sieg from breaking into the KC computer system. The man needed to learn that Seto Kaiba was not someone to be messed with. He needed to be put in his place, on international TV. And Seto would be more than happy to deliver that fatal blow himself.

* * *

TBC

Author's Notes:   
- Major / notable changes from canon:  
1) This chapter covers episodes 190 through 191.  
2) As some of you may have noticed, I changed the order and results of some of the duels. In canon, Jou's duel against Sieg (which Sieg won) took place in the quarterfinals, which led to Sieg dueling Balfry Ginger in the semis. Because (as noted previously), the duel between Vivian and Yugi over Sugoroku wasn't going to happen, I needed another way to keep Yugi and company from attending Rebecca's duel. So in this fic, I had Jou defeat Balfry in the quarterfinals and advance to the semifinals to duel Sieg. The duels remained the same, the results remained the same, so… I hope I didn't confuse anyone!


	7. Ch 6: Getting Back to Nothing

Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! is the creation of Kazuki Takahashi. Getting Back to Nothing is a film by Tim Burstall. "You May Be Right" is performed and recorded by Billy Joel. This is a not-for-profit fanwork and I do not own any of these characters.

* * *

**Summer of '69**

**Ch. 6: Getting Back to Nothing**

* * *

With Jou now out of the tournament, Yugi and Anzu began thinking it would be nice of them to go cheer on Rebecca since her duel with Leon was still in progress. And if they hurried, they could probably catch the tail end of her match. After all, despite the problems Rebecca was causing, she was still a friend, and they wanted to lend her their support.

But when they brought up the idea to Jou as they exited the dueling site, he was too busy replaying his loss in his head to consider it. "Man, I'm so pissed!" he groused. "I can't believe that guy beat me."

"But you did really well, Jou. You got all the way to the semifinals. And Sieg had a lot of really rare, powerful cards," Yugi pointed out.

"Yeah, but I _really_ wanted ta beat him. I dunno man, there's just somethin' creepy about that guy… he gets under my skin," Jou answered, shivering for emphasis.

"Well, I'm proud of you even if you didn't win, Onii-san," Shizuka said. "You tried your best, you never gave up, and even when there were flames shooting up from the ground, you kept your cool and stayed focused."

"Hmm…" Mai turned to Mokuba as he ran over to join them after announcing and recording the match results. "Mokuba, you might want to talk to your brother about cutting back on the flamethrowers in the Volcanic Pit. It's a bit much."

Mokuba flushed slightly. "It's not supposed to be like that at all. We have this same attraction in the original KaibaLand, so we know how it's supposed to be done. We might've gotten hacked again. But I'm not sure how, since Sieg was here, dueling."

"Speakin' of the slimeball, where'd he go?"

Everyone looked around, but sure enough, Sieg had vanished while they were talking, even though he'd been right behind them as they left the Volcanic Pit attraction.

"Well, he's probably headed back to the waiting room. And the security team should be tracking him regardless," Mokuba said, though he sounded a bit unsure about it.

Jou snorted. "Tell ya what, kid. I'll go find the jerk and keep an eye on him for ya myself."

"We'll come with you too," Mai offered, gesturing to her sister-in-law and herself. Sensing her husband's impending protest, she added, "What? I know how you are. Someone's got to keep on eye on you... we don't want you to start anything with that guy."

While Jou sputtered in mock indignation, Mokuba considered the offer, then gave them a nod. If the pink-haired man were heading back to the waiting room, it'd be easy enough for the three of them to pretend that they just happened to end up there as well. And Jou could definitely handle himself if a problem did arise. "Thanks… but please be careful."

"Eh, don't sweat it," Jou answered, thumbing his nose.

Mokuba nodded again as Jou, Mai and Shizuka went to leave, then glanced at the nearby results screen before turning to Yugi and Anzu. "Okay, I guess I'll run you two over then. But we better hurry… Rebecca's duel could be over any minute now."

* * *

Sure enough, when Jou's group got back to the duelists' waiting room, Sieg was already there. He was engaged in some sort of hushed conversation with Vivian when they walked in, but as soon as he spotted them, the slightest hint of a smirk crossed his face, and he terminated the conversation abruptly before leaving the room. A few security officers slid out of the room after him.

Jou and Mai exchanged quick looks, then parted ways. Jou warily tailed the security officers, while Mai and Shizuka walked over and grabbed a seat on the plush sofa across from where Vivian now perused a fashion magazine with feigned interest. They didn't say anything to one another or to Vivian, but after a minute, the Chinese woman peered at them from behind the magazine.

"Is he gone?" she whispered.

Shizuka blinked at Vivian, surprised that she had initiated conversation with them. "Who?"

"Sieg Lloyd."

"He's gone," Mai assured her even as she tried to get a better read on Vivian. Was she involved somehow and just playing innocent since she'd been caught talking to him? Or was she being sincere?

"Oh, good. He was giving me the creeps. Definitely not my type," Viv sniffed.

"Right. You like them short and spiky-haired, or tall, brunette and billionaire-ish," Mai joked, though there was considerable truth in that statement.

A smile played across Vivian's lips. "Well, what can I say? Yugi Mutou's so shy and sweet, and such a great duelist too! And Seto Kaiba is one of the most famous faces in all of Duel Monsters, plus he's loaded! It really is such a shame that he swings the other way. Maybe I should go after Pegasus Crawford next…" She paused, then grew a bit more serious. "So why aren't you in this tournament? Is it because you're retired, and that's that?"

The blonde smirked, glancing in the direction Jou had disappeared to. "Why do you ask?"

"As much as I love dueling men, I'll admit that I admire women duelists even more. Well, some of them. Not little brats like that Hopkins girl. But I've always wanted the opportunity to duel you and your deck of Harpies."

Mai found herself agreeing with the sentiment. While she had no problem dueling either sex, there was something admirable about women who dueled, mostly because they were still a rare breed despite the widespread popularity of the game. "Well, we could have a duel right here, right now," she said lightly, though she was quite serious about it. Maybe dueling Vivian would help her figure the woman out, once and for all.

"Really?"

"Sure, why not?" Mai reached for her purse, fishing out her well-worn deck. Like any true duelist, she was always ready to go at a moment's notice.

A genuine grin broke across Vivian's face, and she held up her deck in response. Why not duel? She was always up for a good challenge.

* * *

Mokuba's concerns turned out to be well justified, for by the time his group arrived at Miniatureland, site of Rebecca and Leon's duel, Rebecca was down to only 100 life points. At least she had a powerful dragon card on her side of the field, so she still stood a chance of winning, but things weren't looking great for her at the moment.

"Hey Rebecca!" Yugi called loudly over the din of the assembled crowd.

The blonde teen spun around at the sound of his voice, instantly perking up. "Yugi! I knew you'd make it! Now that you're here, I can't possibly lose! All right then…" Her confidence now bolstered, she spun around to face Leon once again. "Diamond Head Dragon, attack his Globerman! Next, I'll set this card face down, and end my turn."

Despite being down to 900 life points, Leon smiled as he drew his next card. "That was a nice move. But I think this duel is about to come to an end. I'll play this Gold Moon Coin magic card. It means I'll have to hand over every card in my hand, but I can draw an equal amount of cards in return." He walked over, and handed her a single card.

"Huh… I don't get it," said Rebecca, looking at the Spinning Wheel Spindle card Leon just handed her. "You could have used this to destroy my monster, so why didn't you use it?"

Leon returned to his side of the duel arena, drew one card, and then explained, "Because if you had summoned a monster with more than 900 attack points in the next turn, you could've beaten me. So I thought I'd try something different… and now I play One Hundred Year Awakening. This lets me sacrifice my Curse of Thorns to summon Thorn Princess. She's only got 400 attack points, but her special ability allows me to control one of your monsters."

"Oh no!" Rebecca gasped as her dragon turned to face her. It had 3400 attack points, and she had only a sliver of life points left…

"Diamond Head Dragon, wipe out the rest of her life points!"

Rebecca winced as her life points ticked down to zero, then stood there with her head hanging in shame. She'd been so sure that she'd win, especially since Yugi had managed to show up after all. And now she lost while he was watching!

Leon walked over to shake hands, but seeing how upset the his opponent was, he ended up saying instead, "Rebecca, I'm sorry."

She raised her head a little to look at him as if gauging his sincerity, then offered him her hand to shake. "Don't apologize, you won fair and square."

Within moments, the two duelists were joined by Yugi, Anzu, Sugoroku, Professor Hopkins, Mokuba and Noa. While Noa announced and recorded the official results, Yugi told the pair, "Wow, that was a great duel! Well, best of luck in the finals tomorrow, Leon… I'd love to duel against you. You're very talented."

While Leon flushed at the compliment from the man he idolized, Rebecca took the opportunity to launch herself at Yugi, wrapping her arms around his neck and crying, "But… I wanted to duel you tomorrow! Oh… if only you'd gotten here sooner, Yugi, I'd have won for sure!"

Yugi tried to think of something to say. It wasn't that he didn't like Rebecca; that wasn't it at all. But Jou was his best friend, and he had needed his support more during his duel. He wasn't sure if Rebecca would understand that, though. So with a sympathetic look in Anzu's direction, he awkwardly patted the blonde on the back and said kindly, "I know. We tried to get here as fast as we could. But you still did very well…"

"And the crowd loved you, Rebecca," her grandfather told her. "They still do. I can still hear fans chanting your name."

With a small sniffle, Rebecca loosened her grip on Yugi and managed to drum up a smile and wave for her fans. Her grandfather was right... they were sticking by her even though she had lost. And she appreciated it. Besides, maybe losing wasn't all bad… she was hugging Yugi and there wasn't a thing Anzu could do about it without looking like a total jerk!

But… it wasn't Anzu that ended her fun. After a tolerant few seconds, Yugi reached up and gently pulled Rebecca's arm off from where she had placed it around his shoulders.

_Oh, fine, he's going to be like THAT about it… It's probably 'cause Anzu's standing right there,_ Rebecca thought to herself. _Well, I'll just need to keep reminding Yugi what he's missing out on by staying with Anzu… _Spotting Mokuba just a few feet away, she went over to him and grabbed for his hand, but this time, Mokuba abruptly pulled away.

"Rebecca… look, just stop it, okay?" The black-haired teen was a bit tired of being randomly pawed at. Maybe Rebecca was just playful that way, and too immature to realize he wasn't comfortable with it. Maybe she did like him; he wasn't sure. But he could see the jealousy burning in Noa's eyes, and he knew if he didn't do something quick, Noa certainly would. And he probably would be a lot meaner about it.

"But I…" Rebecca began, seemingly confused, then she did a 180 and spat out, "Well, 'scuse me for having cooties!"

Anzu decided enough was enough; it was time for her to intervene before Noa went ballistic. Stepping in between the two, she said, "Rebecca, can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Why?"

"Because. We haven't really had a chance to talk since this tournament's begun."

"Sure we have…" Rebecca began arguing back, but Anzu shook her head.

"Not just the two of us girls." She suddenly smiled at Yugi, then told Rebecca, "Come on, let's take a walk. Maybe we can get some ice cream or something. And the guys can go off and talk about their boring guy things and we'll catch up with them later."

Rebecca wrinkled her nose. She'd rather be with Yugi and her grandfather, but Professor Hopkins was nodding at Anzu as if that were a great idea, so reluctantly, she agreed to go. She knew it was just a ploy to get her away from Yugi but if nothing else, it meant that at the same time, Anzu couldn't be with Yugi either, so that made her feel a little better about it.

* * *

The two girls ended up going for ice cream at a small shop a short distance away. Rebecca secretly hoped that the chocolate peanut butter concoction Anzu was downing would make her fat, but it'd take a lot of ice cream and a lot of time for that to happen. And she didn't want to wait.

"So what's the deal?" Rebecca finally asked as she dug into her vanilla frozen yogurt. "You didn't really bring me here for girl talk…"

Anzu shook her head. No point in lying; Rebecca was too smart for that. "What you're doing is unfair to Mokuba. If Yugi is the one you're interested in, why play games with Mokuba?"

"Why does it matter to you? Mokuba's not your boyfriend."

"But Yugi is. And besides, Mokuba's a friend of ours. And you're confusing him with the way you've been acting. He doesn't know how to tell you that he's not interested," Anzu explained. Though she hadn't even spoken to the youngest Kaiba on the matter, she figured she was probably accurate in her estimation.

Rebecca narrowed her eyes. "Why even mention Mokuba? I know the truth… you're just trying to keep me away from Yugi."

"I'm not trying to keep you from Yugi. Well… I mean, I'm glad you're friends. But you're going to have to accept the fact that he's my boyfriend."

"You're just dating. Things can change," Rebecca haughtily replied.

The brunette shrugged, though deep down she disagreed. But Rebecca was still young and idealistic. Though, Anzu did remember a time when she harbored feelings for someone who didn't return them… "Yes, I guess things CAN change. But not always. And even if they do, they don't always go as you might hope. You know, Rebecca… a few years ago, I really liked Yami…"

Rebecca instantly jumped on that. "Yami? Not Yugi?"

"Mm. It wasn't that I didn't like Yugi, he was just… I thought of him as a really good friend, and that's it. But Yami, even though he was still a spirit back then… he was exciting, and different. In my eyes, he was like a modern day knight in shining armor. When he got his own body, I told myself, 'Finally… I have a real chance with him.' It didn't happen, of course."

"Didn't make your move soon enough? I guess that's to be expected; you're not a duelist after all."

Despite the insult, Anzu gave Rebecca a slight smile. "It wasn't that. I didn't know he was gay. I guess I never had a chance at all."

Rebecca quietly considered that for a moment. Curious, she had to ask, "So… he never told you? And I bet Yugi knew, but he didn't tell you either?"

"It wasn't Yugi's right to tell me… maybe Yami didn't want us to know. But you know how I found out?" The brunette dancer grinned as she thought back to that night over two years ago. "Kaiba was in front of the shop in a brand new Ferrari. We all thought he was there to challenge Yami to a duel. And at the time, Jou was sure that Yami had found himself a girlfriend. I didn't really believe it… I didn't want to. I thought for sure I still had a chance with him. But then Yami came outside with a duffel bag and Kaiba told him, and I quote, 'I'm going to run out of underwear if you keep borrowing mine.' And then Yami got in the car and they drove away…"

Rebecca could sympathize with that. "Boy, that sucks…"

"I was really upset at first. I mean, that whole time, I liked him… and I didn't even know he wasn't interested in girls. It almost felt like… he had let me down, by not telling me that. Why didn't he just say something? But then again, I guess it wasn't something that would've been easy to explain. And he didn't know how we'd all react. Maybe he was right. I mean, I got upset, Jou flipped out… and it took Yugi to remind us that Yami hadn't changed, it was only how we were seeing him that changed."

"Well, that's too bad for you and all, but what does your story have to do with Yugi? You had no chance with Yami, so you went after him instead?"

"It's not like that. I mean, when Yugi finally asked me out, I did wonder if maybe that would happen. That I'd look at him and only think of Yami. And our first date was a quadruple date, so Yami was there with us. But I didn't think about him the entire time, and I realized that somewhere along the way, I had figured out for myself that Yami wasn't the one for me." Anzu giggled. "It ended up being a fun first date, even though Kaiba handcuffed Yugi and I together. I had a great time."

Rebecca gave her the oddest look, then thought otherwise about asking about _that_ little detail.

"It's okay if you like Yugi. After all, I still have a bit of a crush on Yami. He was the first guy I fell for," Anzu admitted. "But you can't always expect a guy you like to like you back in the same way. Sometimes, the best you can do is be their friend."

"But that's not what I want!"

"If you really care about him, you'll want him to be happy, even if it means you can't be with him. Even if that isn't what you want for yourself."

Rebecca stood up, stomping her foot. That wasn't what she wanted to hear at all! "That's stupid. You brought me over here to tell me that? You can't tell me who to like, and you can't keep me away from Yugi!"

"But isn't it up to Yugi who he wants to be with? Maybe… have you asked him how he feels?"

Her hands clenching into small fists, Rebecca shouted, "Maybe I _would_, but you're always around, so when would I have the chance to talk to him about that?" Then before Anzu could say another word, she turned and stormed off.

_Who does Anzu think she is, saying that she knows exactly what Yugi wants? _It wasn't her business anyway. Not really. But she did bring up a good point, and so Rebecca decided that she'd go find Yugi and tell him exactly how she felt. One way or another, she was going to resolve things between the two of them, and Anzu could just butt out.

* * *

Noa wondered if anything would change after Anzu had her talk with Rebecca. The young blonde duelist was stubborn as hell. But at least Anzu was keeping her word to him, though he wasn't sure if he ought to ask her how things went afterwards. He didn't want to show _too_ much interest in the matter after all; it'd look suspicious. But at the same time, he definitely wasn't going to be leaving Mokuba anywhere near Rebecca for the remainder of the tournament if he could help it.

But that was only one of the things on his mind. They still had a tournament to run, and he and Mokuba needed to report back to Seto. It had been a long day, and with the hacker was still running amok, Seto probably hadn't taken a single break the entire time. Mokuba suggested that they bring him something to eat, so they stopped by a little café in the new retail center and ordered him a sandwich, though convincing him to eat it would be another matter. Yami could probably do it. But when they arrived at Seto's office, Yami was asleep on the sofa…

"What?" Seto asked irritably, after having been stared at for a second too long.

"And here we were, thinking you'd been working this whole time," Noa drawled, waggling his brows and tossing his head in the direction of the sofa.

Mokuba rolled his eyes at the insinuation and jabbed his boyfriend in the ribs, then set the styrofoam container down on the desk. "We brought you something to eat, okay?"

Seto ignored the food and gave the green-haired teen an odd look instead. _What the…?_ "What's that supposed to mean? I _have_ been working this entire time!"

Noa looked slightly confused and embarrassed. "Then why is Yami… I thought you guys… had fooled around or something..."

"And why would you think that?" Seto asked testily.

"Dunno, that's what you usually do," Noa mumbled.

"It's just not like Yami to be taking a nap, that's all," Mokuba explained. "Especially at a time like this."

"He's not really napping," Seto grumbled. He rubbed at his forehead. He didn't want to be so snappish, but… he couldn't help it. Even with Yami's help, he was starting to feel tired and moody once again. Perhaps he'd feel better if he borrowed a bit more energy, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. _Who knows what sort of effect that would have on Yami?_

"What's that supposed to mean?" Noa abruptly asked, and when Seto gave him a questioning look, he pointed out, "You said something about not knowing how it'd affect Yami…"

Seto simply grunted, though he was cursing himself on the inside. He hadn't realized he'd said that out loud, and now both his brothers were looking at him expectantly, awaiting a response.

Apparently he was taking too long, because Noa suddenly frowned and said, "Does this have something to do with your mind link?" The teenager turned to look at Yami, then swung back around, concern in his eyes. "Seto?"

"Don't worry about it; we know what we're doing," the brunette grumbled, though he wasn't as sure as he claimed to be.

"Then why is he unconscious?" Noa demanded, worry evident in his voice.

Before Seto could even formulate a response, Mokuba asked, "What are you trying to say? You know Nii-sama wouldn't ever do anything to hurt Yami!"

"I'm not saying he'd do it on purpose..."

"He wouldn't. EVER!" Mokuba adamantly argued back.

"But even you have to admit, this isn't normal. I'm… I'm just worried about Yami." Noa looked over at his big brother, who was now staring distractedly at his sleeping lover. "Tell me you're positive that this isn't harming him, and I'll drop it."

Seto wanted to answer Noa, wanted to assure him that he was positive Yami would be fine… but the doubt that had been niggling at him crawled back to the forefront of his thoughts and lodged itself there. "He said… he'd be fine," he ended up responding, but it was less an answer and more an attempt at self-reassurance than anything else.

"He'd do anything for you, you know," Noa pointed out, not willing to let the matter go. But even though he knew Mokuba was unhappy with what he was doing, he had to say it. Neither the tournament nor the opening of the theme park should have taken precedence over Yami's well being…

"But Yami would know better than to do anything stupid. He'd know how Seto would feel about that," Mokuba insisted. "And I'd even bet they've done things like this before."

Seto nodded once, though he only partially agreed with that statement. He now realized that Yami had been right; they had borrowed energy from each other before, though at the time he didn't even know what to call it or how to describe it… but it wasn't quite the same this time. He'd never been so depleted before. And no matter what he had tried – though of course that precluded sleep – nothing seemed to help. Without Yami's help, he might have passed out by the time Mokuba and Noa stopped by to check on him. But… was Noa right? Of course Yami would do anything for him… and it was possible that in his zeal to be helpful, Yami had overestimated himself… He did have a bit of an ego. Seto was feeling uneasy just thinking about it. Yami shouldn't have just passed out like that. He shouldn't have been roused by a nightmare to the point of falling off the sofa. Where was the balancing of energy that he had talked about? It seemed to only be going one way. Could that end up harming him later on? Yami had been disoriented and nauseous earlier…

Suddenly really and truly worried about what harm he was doing to his boyfriend, and with Yami no longer able to convince him otherwise, Seto decided that that was he was no longer willing to take the risk. Kaiba Corp.'s problems were his to deal with… he refused to make Yami pay the price for his company's woes. He wasn't sure how he was going to cope with another lost night of sleep… but he'd manage. He always had before.

Carefully concentrating on the link he shared with Yami, Seto isolated the feed of energy, visualizing it as something like a running garden hose, and slowly clamped down on it, shutting off the flow. It felt like he was draining much of the energy out of himself in the process, but he told his body to just suck it up and deal. Surely he must've taken in enough energy during the last few hours to keep him going for a while longer. And the tournament would be over the next day. Just one more day… then Siegfried would be gone, and he could get some rest. Maybe even take a day off, or two if he really needed it. That'd be enough to make up for everything.

With a sigh, he turned back to his brothers. "Don't worry about Yami. He'll wake up soon, I think."

He thought Noa would've been relieved by that. But the green-haired teen just turned his concern towards him instead, asking, "But what about you?"

"What about me?" Damn, he was already feeling a bit drowsy…

"Are you going to be okay?"

Seto merely grunted before turning back to his computer, unsure of what to tell him. He wasn't even sure why Noa was worried about him. Why did he care? Or was that not it at all? Was he really thinking that he couldn't handle Siegfried because the German had managed to hack the system again? Well, that wasn't true at all. Now that Seto knew who he was, Siegfried's luck had run out. He wasn't going to get away with it again. Seto would take care of that personally.

Seeing that his brother was back on the computer as if nothing had happened, Mokuba hesitantly reminded him of what they had told him earlier that day in hopes that they could still salvage the conversation. "Nii-sama, you know Noa and I will help you in any way we can…"

"No, I've got it all under control," the young billionaire bit out. _I can do this myself. I don't need to rely on anyone else._

But despite what Seto thought, Noa really did care. He hadn't intended for his words to sound so harsh, but he'd been worried about Yami. That didn't mean that he wanted Seto to suffer instead. But he had already said too much, and Seto was clearly indicating the conversation was over, the stubborn idiot. All he could do was helplessly look at Mokuba, who looked as worried and confused as he.

"At least eat your sandwich…" Noa said softly, almost afraid that Seto was just going to throw it at him, just to spite him. But after a tense moment, Seto reached out for the container and began eating the contents.

Well, at least he was being reasonable about that. And Noa figured that was it… Seto was just going to sit there and work and pretend that they weren't there, staring at the back of his head. But then the brunette picked up his phone and called for a limo to take his brothers and Yami back to the duplex, and both Noa and Mokuba realized… Seto wasn't even planning on going home that evening.

Mokuba tried to argue against it because he knew that meant that his big brother wasn't planning on getting any rest whatsoever. He even went as far as saying that that he'd refuse to leave unless Seto went with them too, but Seto refused to budge.

Then, as if pulling a trap card on them, Seto told his brothers, "I need you to keep an eye on Yami and make sure he's be okay. Sometimes he has a hard time sleeping if I'm awake, and that sofa is no place for him to be sleeping, anyway."

"Then you should be coming with us, and getting some rest too," Mokuba reasoned.

"I wouldn't be able to sleep, even if I tried. There's a lot to do… I can't even stop thinking about it long enough to take a break." Then, a little more gently, he added, "I'd really feel a lot better if you two did this for me. I know I can trust you to look after him."

"Of course," Noa replied, though he had no intention of doing only that. Yami's well being would be his top priority, but there was no reason he couldn't remotely sneak in a little side work on the computer systems as well. "But Seto, what about you?"

The young CEO rubbed at the bridge of his nose. "Look, I'll even take a day off after this is all over, if it makes you feel better."

"You mean that?" Mokuba asked. It wasn't what he was originally hoping for, but, well… it was better than nothing. He just hoped it would be enough. Despite what Seto thought, he wasn't some sort of superman; a human body had minimum requirements that needed to be met, and no amount of willpower could overcome that.

"Yes, I promise."

Mokuba looked at Noa, who merely shrugged, then at Yami, and finally, nodded reluctantly at his big brother. He still wasn't happy with it, but he was willing to give up the fight if it at least resulted in taking one small weight off Seto's shoulders. "All right."

Satisfied with that small victory, Seto smiled slightly, turned back around, and focused his attention back on his work.

* * *

TBC

Author's Notes:  
- Major / notable changes from canon:  
1) This chapter covers episodes 192 through 193.  
2) Seto doesn't send his people around to dig up more dirt on Sieg… he figured out Sieg's identity last chapter, so I don't see any reason why he'd need someone else to confirm it.  
3) Reminder: because I moved some of the duels around, Jou's duel against Sieg took place at the same time Rebecca's duel against Leon. But the results are the same: Jou loses to Sieg, Rebecca loses to Leon as well.  
4) Another reminder: the entire Vivian "kidnapping" Sugoroku bit got axed.  
- Hmm, I didn't mean to get so many loose threads going in this story, but with such a large cast, I can't resist trying to do something with many of the characters, especially the ones that weren't really in the ficverse early on. Hopefully, I'm not pulling the focus too far off Seto and Yami... they're the stars of the show, after all.


	8. Ch 7: Men Who Ride Mountains

Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! is the creation of Kazuki Takahashi. Men Who Ride Mountains is a film by Grant Rohloff. "The Impression That I Get" is performed and recorded by Mighty Mighty Bosstones. This is a not-for-profit fanwork and I do not own any of these characters.

* * *

**Summer of '69**

**Ch. 7: Men Who Ride Mountains**

* * *

Waking up to find himself back at the duplex with Seto nowhere in sight definitely didn't make Yami happy. Finding out that Seto had shut down the energy feed made him even less so. It didn't matter that it was 2:00 AM… Yami was willing to make the 60-something mile drive out to Kaiba Corp. America to berate Seto for his foolishness in person, but after a precursory mental check, he realized that exhaustion had finally caught up to his lover, and he certainly wasn't going to wake him just to yell at him.

A little frustrated and yet, relieved that at least Seto was getting some rest now, Yami settled back into his bed and wondered how he had gotten home. Undoubtedly, Seto had someone drive him back… Mokuba and Noa too, he bet, and maybe the teens got Rafael or Valon to carry him in when he didn't wake up on his own…

Somewhat concerned, but mostly curious, Yami got out of bed and quietly snuck up to the third floor to check on Mokuba and Noa. Although there were two bedrooms upstairs, both of which had been furnished with the intention of being used as bedrooms, the pair had decided right off the bat that they'd prefer keeping their current sleeping arrangement, and so one room was being treated as an office or gaming room of sorts while the other became their shared bedroom. Yami found Mokuba snoring away in the full sized bed in the rear bedroom, and Noa napping in his office chair in the front room, the light from his computer monitor casting a bluish glow over his sleeping face.

After fetching a blanket for Noa, Yami decided to go down to the living room to watch TV instead of returning to bed. Though he was still a little tired, he was intent on finding out what had transpired during the afternoon while he had slept. He vaguely remembered being woken up by a sense of panic and turmoil, and that Jou had been dueling Sieg Llo… no, Siegfried von Schroider. He wondered if Jou had managed to defeat his pink-haired opponent. And how had Rebecca fared?

Not bothering with turning on the lights, the ex-spirit flipped through channels until he found one that seemed a promising prospect for local news, though at the moment, all that was being reported were the surf conditions. When a commercial came on, Yami found his thoughts drifting to Siegfried, and Amelda, and Gozaburo Kaiba. Was Siegfried trying to get revenge for some wrong done to his family by Gozaburo, like Amelda had done? If the von Schroiders were in the same business as Gozaburo had been, it was possible that Gozaburo had stolen away lucrative contracts or employees from them, and had driven them to bankruptcy. But if that was the case, the German had the wrong Kaiba, and that made Yami mad. He hated that people cursed Seto for what his adoptive father had done, as if he were to blame for Gozaburo's sins. He blamed himself enough already for other things that had happened in his past, even though many of those things had been beyond his control.

Despite the fact that Seto was practically working himself into an early grave, Yami had thought that the development of the new park and the hosting of the tournament had been good for his boyfriend. It was something positive, something done to fulfill a dream, something that would keep Seto moving forward to embrace his future… and then Siegfried had to come and drag him down, saddling him with all sorts of problems, reminding Seto of the past that he was still struggling with.

Speaking of struggles and problems, Yami was not liking what he was seeing on the news. The anchorwoman was talking about KaibaLand, but not in a positive light. Yami grimaced as he saw footage of malfunctioning rides, and frightened children relating how they were stuck on a roller coaster for several minutes while their parents ranted about how unsafe the park was. At least no serious injuries had been reported, with the worst being some minor cuts being sustained by patrons who had panicked and run into things like barricades, but all this bad press was going to severely hurt the park's attendance and earnings, as well as Kaiba Corp.'s reputation. A very weary Seto had felt obligated to hold an emergency news conference that evening, which was now being replayed, to assure the public that the rides were safe, that the problem was being addressed, but it was going to take more than that to salvage the situation. Stocks had dropped; there was talk about closing the park for more safety inspections.

"By the gods, Seto…" Yami murmured to himself, disheartened. No wonder Seto had elected to not come home with them. But Yami wondered why he had clamped down on the energy transfer when it was clear that he was really going to need it if he were to deal with all those headaches. His being woken up by Seto's panic hadn't done it, so what had happened?

"…Yami?"

The crimson-eyed man turned towards the stairs to see Noa shuffling towards him, rubbing at his eyes, blanket slung over his shoulders still. "Hey."

"You feel okay?"

Yami shrugged, glancing at the TV. "About as well as could be, considering."

"I'm glad you're up." Noa yawned as he went to join Yami on the sofa. "Well, not glad 'cause you're up at an ungodly hour, but… I mean, I'm glad you woke up. I was worried. I wasn't sure about what Seto was doing to you and all," he said, pointing at his own head.

Yami blinked as he processed what Noa was asking between the lines. "I was letting him use some of my energy, so that he'd be able to concentrate on his tasks. I don't know why he stopped though. Do you know anything about that?"

Noa fidgeted a little nervously, looking down at his hands. "I was worried," he repeated. "You were unconscious, and when I asked, Seto couldn't explain why… It didn't seem right."

Closing his eyes, Yami fought back the anger he suddenly felt… it wouldn't do any good to get mad at Noa, he told himself. The green-haired teen had been trying to help. He'd been looking out for Yami's best interests. He had just forgotten Seto's in the process… "I… appreciate you wanting to look out for me. But, you have to trust that I know my own limits when it comes to what Seto and I do."

"But… Seto seemed so unsure about it. He said he didn't know how it would affect you. I just didn't think it… it's not that I don't trust you…"

"I know. You did it for me." Yami sighed. "Seto didn't like it either, but I knew he needed it. And I knew it wouldn't hurt me…"

"God, Yami…" Nervous blue eyes focused on Yami's face. "Is this going to hurt Seto instead, then? I don't want anything bad to happen to him either!"

Seeing Noa's concern, Yami wrapped his arm around the teen's shoulders. "He's asleep right now, so at least he's getting some rest. You should be sleeping too. I'll talk to him tomorrow… we'll handle things as they come, okay?"

Nodding, Noa let Yami pull him close for a minute, their concern binding them together. "So… you going to stay up?" he finally asked as he felt Yami sagging slightly against him.

"For now, I suppose."

"Mind if I keep you company? There was something I was working on…"

"Mm."

Noa got up and went to retrieve his computer, returning with a hesitant smile on his face. "Now, don't let me fall asleep. But don't distract me either. This is really important," he told Yami as he sat back down, placing the laptop across his thighs.

"Okay." And Yami turned the volume off on the television, figuring that closed captioning was good enough for the moment since nothing of interest was airing. He still hoped to find a channel that would replay the duels from the tournament, but nothing but a mindless string of infomercials and late night programs flashed by on the screen.

In frustration, Yami ended up settling for some documentary about Vikings, curling up in the blanket Noa had brought down while the green-haired teen worked beside him. In the dimly lit room, Noa's rapid, light keystrokes sounded a familiar sort of accompaniment, and Yami felt his eyelids growing heavier with each passing minute.

Meanwhile, Noa continued to work, mindless of the time, barely registering the fact that Yami had finally fallen asleep. It wasn't that he doubted Seto's ability to program circles around Sieg, but he knew Seto was really tired, and that meant he'd be more prone to making… certain oversights. And of course, he felt bad about all the things he had said that had been misconstrued. Apparently, he suffered from a chronic case of open mouth, insert foot.

Kaiba Corp. wasn't his company. Seto wasn't really his big brother. But he'd be damned if he just sat around and did nothing to help. Maybe he wasn't great at expressing that he cared, but he did know that he was good with computers. It was a language that Seto was comfortable with as well. Noa hoped that he'd understand… and that he'd accept his apology.

* * *

The entire group reconvened late the next morning at the Kaiba Dome California with the surprising addition of Vivian Wong, who showed up as Mai's guest, much to Rebecca's vexation. But she seemed to be a little more subdued than before, not making any overt gestures towards Yugi, so Rebecca decided to not make an issue of it. She already had enough of a headache from thinking about what to say to Yugi, so she considered it a blessing that Vivian was out of the picture, at least for the moment.

Despite what had happened at the park the day before, park attendance wasn't as bad as Yami had feared, with the tournament being a big enough draw that the stands were completely packed and thousands more had to be diverted to smaller viewing stations around the park. Once again, Seto had reserved an entire block of seats for his friends, though he was nowhere to be seen himself. Yami only knew he was awake and nearby, though he hadn't responded to any of his hails, which meant that either he was extraordinarily busy, or up to something. So he kept looking up at the blue sky above the open roof of the stadium, expecting to see the Blue Eyes White Dragon jet come screaming by overheard.

It felt like déjà vu when a Kaiba Corp. helicopter flew over the stadium, just as Isono and Mokuba finished introducing the two duelists, Sieg Lloyd and Leon Wilson. The crowd gaped at Seto's sudden appearance once they could see that it was the CEO himself who was hanging onto the ladder that dangled below the chopper. As the helicopter slowly descended into the middle of the stadium, Yami shook his head. Seto was dressed in his old Battle City outfit and had his briefcase with him. What was he up to this time?

"Well, there he goes again, showin' off," Jou commented as Seto leapt the final few feet to the dueling platform, though like everyone else, he wondered why Seto was making an appearance all of a sudden.

"I'm putting a stop to this right now!" Seto announced once Mokuba ran forth to hand him the microphone. "As president of Kaiba Corp., I declare this match invalid. As a result of a disqualification, the winner of this duel is Leon Wilson!"

The crowd let out a collective gasp as Valon asked the question that was on everyone's mind. "Damn, what's going on here? Yami, Noa?"

Noa began to shake his head since he hadn't a clue, but Yami grimly told the group, "I think I know, and I think you're all about to find out, too."

"Any particular reason for this?" Sieg sniffed at Seto. "Humor me."

_You know full well why I'm disqualifying you, you bastard. _"You broke your tournament contract by entering the event under a false name, Sieg Lloyd… or should I say, Siegfried von Schroider, president of Schroider Corp.!"

Hushed murmurs rippled through the assembled crowd as Siegfried smirked, not bothering to deny the allegation. A lot of people were confused, especially poor Leon, who seemed uncertain whether or not he should remain on the dueling field.

For the benefit of his immediate group, Pegasus explained loudly, "Schroider Corp. is a top gaming company in Europe. So in many ways, it is Kaiba Corp.'s rival."

"The only Schroider Corp. I've heard of was a weapons manufacturer. I wonder… well, but if Schroider Corp. is all that, why didn't you tell us who Sieg really was?" Noa asked.

Pegasus shrugged somewhat apologetically. "I'm afraid my dealings with Schroider Corp. were rather limited once I had a contract with Kaiba Corp. Why, I never even knew that was their CEO until this moment."

Back over atop the dueling arena, Seto was leveling more allegations at Siegfried. "Falsifying your name on your tournament application is enough for me to disqualify you, right here, right now. But on top of that, I know you're the one behind all the problems I've been having the last few days."

Siegfried just laughed. "So, you think you've figured it all out, have you? Why don't you tell the truth, Herr Kaiba? You're only disqualifying me because you're a coward… because of a loophole… Because you're afraid of my skills as a duelist! You know that if I win this tournament, my victory would herald the end of Kaiba Corp.'s domination over the global gaming market!" He gestured at the crowd. "Think of it… look at all these people… Why, this is being broadcast all over the world. You are a coward, Herr Kaiba. Everyone can see you're afraid of me!"

"Afraid? Of you?" Seto snorted dismissively, but his eyes were bright, lit by the fire of his competitive spirit. The prospect of a duel made him forgot how tired he was. His pulse was picking up. "Hardly. But… I've changed my mind. You've already shown yourself as a snake, albeit a little one. I might as well complete your humiliation by crushing you underfoot myself."

"Oh? Why, it almost sounds like you're planning to duel me yourself."

Seto dropped his briefcase, flipping it open to reveal his Duel Disk. "You got that right." He pulled his deck out of his pocket and held it out to Siegfried. If he took it, that would mean he was accepting the challenge. "Let's find out who the real coward is!"

Grinning broadly, Siegfried stepped forward and the two men exchanged decks, shuffling them briefly before returning them and taking their places at the duelists' platforms on opposite ends of the arena. A coin flip determined that Siegfried had the right to choose the order of turns, and he elected to go second.

As Isono quickly announced the new duel, calling it a bonus match to assuage the spectators, Mokuba went and got Leon, and the two joined Yugi-tachi over in their reserved area, quickly finding seats so that they wouldn't miss one second of the action.

"Wow Leon, so I guess you'll get to duel me after this, since this makes you the winner of the tournament," Yugi told the redhead as he sat down.

"I… guess," Leon responded rather despondently.

"What's wrong?" Anzu asked.

"It was my dream to duel Yugi, but… I didn't think it'd happen like this."

"Oh please, if you don't want to duel him, I'd be happy to take your spot," said Rebecca, feeling a bit miffed. "That's why I really wanted to win our duel yesterday."

"I know. I'm sorry."

Vivian rolled her eyes at the exchange, then told Leon, "Look kid, you've earned the privilege to have a shot at the champ himself. And Siegfried von Whatever dug his own grave. So don't insult everyone else who competed by complaining about it now."

Leon could only nod numbly as the dueling platforms rose up above the dueling field, but it didn't mean he agreed with Vivian. That should've been him up there. He had been looking forward to the duel, to proving himself in front of a worldwide audience. He didn't want a win to simply be handed to him – it went against everything he believed in as a duelist. But all he could do was sit and watch, along with everyone else.

Finally kicking off the duel, Seto began by playing X-Head Cannon in attack mode, along with two cards face down. Then he ended his turn.

Sieg laughed as he examined his cards. "Ah, a nice opening move. But I'm afraid it will not be enough to save you." Then he played his Ride of the Valkyries, eliciting a few screams from the audience. "My Valkyries Zweite, Dritte and Erste have been looking forward to this meeting," he said, introducing the trio of monsters that appeared on his side of the field. "Thanks to Valkyrie Zweite's special effect, your X-Head Cannon is now destroyed. Next, Valkyrie Erste, remove his X-Head Cannon from play, and take on its attack points! And last but not least, Valkyrie Dritte gains 100 attack points for every opposing monster removed from the game. Looks like the duel will be over before it even begun. Now then… Valkyrie Zweite, attack his life points directly!"

"Not so fast. I activate Negate Attack."

"Nice," Amelda commented. "Now Siegfried's turn is over, so his Valkyries will have to return to his deck."

Unfazed, Siegfried tsked and played a magic card. "Ah, that might have worked. But with this Mischief of the Time Goddess magic card, I have just skipped your turn and thus, my Valkyries remain on the field. Valkyrie Zweite, attack!"

"Hn. I activate Magical Trick Mirror, which allows me to activate a magic card from your graveyard. And I chose Mischief of the Time Goddess. Two can play at this game, Siegfried… if you thought you could end this duel in one turn, you thought wrong. Now… I play Z-Metal Tank in defense mode, which allows me to special summon Clone Dragon, which becomes an exact duplicate of the card I just played." With two Z-Metal Tanks protecting his life points, Seto ended his turn.

"Why bother stalling, Herr Kaiba? We both know you can't win." The pink-haired man gestured at the three Valkyries before him. "Since my turn never officially ended when you played Mischief of the Time Goddess, my Valkyries remain on the field – a costly mistake! Now, I shall play a magic card, Valkyrie's Embrace. Then I switch my Valkyrie Dritte to defense mode." He snickered as Z-Metal Tank vanished from Seto's side of the field. "You see, by activating my magic card, I can remove one of your monsters from play as long as I switch one of my Valkyries to defense mode. But that's not all. Valkyrie Erste, destroy his second Z-Metal Tank!"

Seto scowled as he was once again was left without monsters on his side of the field.

Siegfried grinned as if he had the duel won already. "Valkyrie Zweite, attack his life points now!"

"That was bad – Kaiba lost 1600 life points in that one turn!" Honda yelled as Seto's life points plummeted.

Brushing off the damage he'd taken, Seto drew again, playing Pitch-Dark Dragon in defense mode along with a face down card, then ended his turn. Siegfried sent Zweite to destroy the dragon, but that activated Seto's Flat Level 4 trap card, which meant that they'd both have to select a four star monster from their deck to direct summon to the field. The Kaiba Corp. CEO selected Y-Dragon Head, while Siegfried chose another Valkyrie Dritte before ending his turn.

Drawing again, Seto played Pot of Greed so that he could draw two more cards, then played Dimension Fusion, a magic card which would allow both players to special summon all monsters which had been removed from play, but at the cost of 2000 life points to the wielder. Z-Metal Tank and X-Head Cannon both reappeared on Seto's side of the field.

"He's really cutting it close," Otogi pointed out, eyeing Seto's remaining 400 life points.

"Have faith…" Yami murmured, staring at his boyfriend intently, as if he could restore the missing life points by his will alone. He was breathing just as hard as Seto was, adrenaline flooding his body as if he were the one dueling.

"Next, I'm playing Soul Absorption, which will give me 500 life points every time a card is removed from play. So, I'll remove X-Head Cannon, Y-Dragon Head, and Z-Metal Tank in order to summon XYZ-Dragon Cannon to the field. Oh, and if that weren't enough, I just regained 1500 life points as well. Now XYZ-Dragon Cannon, destroy his Valkyrie Dritte!" Seeing the scowl on his opponent's face as his life points dropped to 2500, Seto sneered and asked, "What's wrong, Siegfried?

"What's wrong?" Siegfried drew and smirked at what he saw. "Why, there's nothing wrong at all. I play this, Nibelung's Treasure! It allows me to select a spell card and place it on your side of the field, and also allows me to draw five more cards." Rapidly, he drew a quintet of cards, then placed a card on the field. "The spell card I choose is Nibelung's Ring, and I shall place it on your XYZ-Dragon Cannon! It will keep your monster from attacking me, and better yet… each turn you must draw two cards, and if either one is a monster, it will be removed from play. But ah, I am not done yet. First, I sacrifice my Valkyrie Dritte to summon Fortune Chariot, which will allow Valkyrie Zweite to attack your life points directly, at half her attack power." Another 800 points were torn from Seto's pool of life points. "And finally, I play one card face down, and also Mystical Space Typhoon, which will destroy your Soul Absorption. So as you see, Herr Kaiba, there is nothing wrong at all!"

Seto's face remained fairly neutral as he drew the two cards required by Nibelung's Ring. Since neither was a monster, he chose to place one card on the field and ended his turn, since XYZ-Dragon Cannon could not attack.

Still gloating over his own cleverness, Siegfried said, "And of course, you know what comes next. Valkyrie Zweite, use the Fortune Chariot and attack his life points once again!"

"I activate Attack Guidance Armor, which allows me to redirect your attack onto your other monster!"

"Ah, that might have worked if I did not have Wotan's Judgement on my side, which allows me to switch one magic card in my hand for the top card of my deck. It also prematurely ends your turn." The German paused dramatically, inspecting his hand, then announced, "I thank you Herr Kaiba, for making this next move possible. Now I play the magic cards Goddess Urd's Verdict, Goddess Verdande's Guidance, and Goddess Skuld's Oracle."

"Oh shit!" was all Jou could say. He'd been the victim of those three cards, so he knew how bad that was for Seto.

"Stop gloating and get on with it," Seto told Siegfried, but he was slightly distracted... For a fleetingly brief moment, he thought he saw a faint, icy glow emanating from his deck…

"Of course. But first, courtesy of my Goddess Skuld, let's see the top three cards in your deck…" The cards appeared on the field, flipping up to reveal themselves, shocking Siegfried with what he saw. "That's… that's impossible!"

"Don't like what you see?" Seto asked dryly, though inside, his heart was pounding. Somehow, he knew exactly what three cards had been revealed. He hated tipping his hand like that, even though those were the rules.

"It does not matter. My other Goddesses will take care of those," Siegfried insisted, gesturing at his two remaining spell cards. Seto may have drawn his dragons, but he'd be losing them soon enough…

Meanwhile, down in the VIP seating area, Sugoroku suddenly lifted his hand to his chest. He had the strangest feeling… like a slight warmth spreading through his chest. It didn't hurt, but it was disconcerting nonetheless. He wondered what it could be, then… the strangest thought occurred to him.

Sugoroku reached into his pocket and fished out a slim case. Someone had the idea of marketing little protective display boxes for treasured Duel Monsters cards. The game shop carried them. This particular one was special though, custom made in a dark blue velvet with chrome trim and a locking clasp. He undid the clasp, and slowly opened it, holding his breath…

The fourth Blue Eyes White Dragon. It really wasn't worth anything as far as dueling went since it had been damaged beyond repair, but to him… it was the most valuable card in the world. It represented so many things: friendship, inner strength, hopes and dreams. And it was beautiful, shimmering like a captured beam of moonlight against a sea of ink blue satin.

Sugoroku swore that the card had been glowing, but that should have been impossible. It was just paper. Maybe it had just reflected some of the sunlight that was pouring into the stadium. But try as he might, the old man couldn't seem to find the angle to replicate it, and anyway, it hadn't really looked like a simple trick of light. It had been glowing softly, and it had been warm – as if it were alive. He was certain of that. It was trying to tell him something…

He looked at Yugi, sitting a seat away with his eyes fixed on the duel in front of them. The card had never really suited him. But Seto Kaiba…

If dragons were real, if one touched down on Earth in human form, surely it would see in Seto the qualities it would recognize in its own kind – his fierce loyalty and pride and tenacity, the fire in his eyes, the brilliance of his mind and the strength of his spirit…

Yami spoke often about the Heart of the Cards. He made them all believe in magic too – not just the magic that had given him another chance at life, but the magic inherent the game they all loved as well. So was it possible then that this fourth dragon was now responding to Seto's need?

Sugoroku wondered if Seto would accept it. He tried to imagine himself handing it over. The young CEO would probably refuse, assuming there was a catch, that there was a price to be paid for it. But not everything in life came with a price. Or maybe he'd turn it down because that particular dragon had rejected him once already, and he had torn it in half so that it'd never be able to reject him again.

The Blue Eyes White Dragon was a creature of light. And back then, Seto had existed like a blind man, in darkness… an angry, dangerous, uncontrollable 15-year-old who didn't have the benefit of a stable childhood, loving parents, or supportive friends. Maybe that was why he was attracted to it in the first place – the dragon represented everything he didn't have, everything he wished he could be. Maybe that's why he had wanted it and resented it at the same time. Sugoroku wasn't sure. He had never asked. What would he have said? Seto had tried to kill him for the card. It wasn't an easy subject to broach. It seemed too personal, and Seto had never been an easy person to get close to.

But… Seto was no longer that lost child who had violently crashed into Sugoroku's life some five years earlier. He had changed and matured… and there was no doubt that Yami had been a big part of that. They were good for each other. Sugoroku had meant it when he had told Yami that they complimented each other well.

He had been mulling over the card long enough to attract Rebecca's attention, and her eyes widened when she saw what it was that he was staring at. "That's my grandpa's Blue Eyes, isn't it?"

Professor Hopkins looked over upon hearing her words, and smiled. "_Was_ my Blue Eyes, yes."

"I was just thinking…" and Sugoroku looked up at Seto, resolutely standing his ground before Siegfried, "maybe it's time for this dragon to return home."

Rebecca looked hopeful for a moment, apparently thinking that Sugoroku was going to return the card to her grandfather, but as she followed his gaze, she realized that wasn't what he meant. "What do you mean? That's not its home. And he already has three of them…"

"And this card's not playable anyway, I know," Sugoroku answered, sighing. "But, it belongs to him. I'm sure of it."

"If you don't want it anymore, give it to Yugi. Or to me. I'd keep it safe. I won't let anyone damage it ever again," Rebecca said with a pout.

"But that was years ago, and Kaiba's changed a lot. He wouldn't do that again," Yugi told her, leaning across Anzu a little to insert himself into the conversation.

Rebecca had never heard the story of how the card had been damaged in the first place. But she was smart enough to figure out what Yugi was implying. And it shocked her to hear that her grandfather's dear friend was planning on handing the most desirable card in the game to the man who had torn it in half in the first place. It was just too much… was the old man insane? "Kaiba? Kaiba did it? Then… why would you want to give it to him of all people?! He definitely doesn't deserve it. He'd just tear it up again!"

"He won't," Yugi said with conviction.

"It probably should go to you, Yugi," Sugoroku told his grandson, "but that doesn't seem right."

"No, I agree with you, Jii-chan. Even if you did want me to have it, I don't think I could keep it after all we've been through. It's more than just a card… Maybe it has been Kaiba's dragon all along."

"It isn't! It was Grandpa's. It should be mine if you don't want it, Yugi!"

"Rebecca, what on Earth would you do with it?" Professor Hopkins asked.

"Well, I certainly wouldn't tear it up!" Rebecca huffed. "And you _know_ I collect dragons, Grandpa!"

Yugi looked up at Seto thoughtfully, then glanced at Yami. Either his other half was ignoring their conversation, or he was too caught up in Seto's duel to notice it. Seeing the intensity in those crimson eyes and the set of his jaw, he guessed it was the latter. And that reminded him…

He reached in his pocket and pulled out a familiar, well-used card from his own deck – the Dark Magician. He had tried to give it to Yami when he had first moved out, but the former Pharaoh had refused to take it, telling Yugi to keep it for the both of them. And so he had. But Yugi was reconsidering the wisdom of that now. After all, Anzu wasn't the one who had the Dark Magician tattooed on her shoulder…

"He'd never admit to it, but his heart is in that card. I don't know how else to explain it to you," Yugi finally said, though he wasn't sure if he was speaking of Yami, or Seto, or both.

"Oh, come on, that's a crock," Rebecca hissed, still determined to have her way.

The conversation had been going on long enough now that Anzu and Jou had to jump in with their opinions as well. Anzu went first, saying, "No, it's true. There's a bond between a duelist and their deck. You can't just ignore that." But Rebecca rolled her eyes at the older girl because she wasn't a duelist, so why was she saying anything?

Jou added, "As weird as this sounds, I agree wit' ya, Yug. Five years ago, or even three years ago… I'd have said no way, don't do it man. No way does Kaiba deserve that card, not even for a million bucks. After all, he tried to kill us over it. And he's the one that tore it up…" He paused, as if he'd just caught wind of what he was saying, then shrugged it off. "I mean, even I can see how he is with Yami, and… meh, mebbe I've gone soft. But I know those dragons mean about as much to Kaiba as anything ever has. And ya can't deny that. You know that counts fer a lot comin' from me, Rebecca, 'cuz Kaiba and I have never been buddies."

Rebecca did know that much at least. And she was genuinely surprised that Jounouichi had stepped up in Seto's defense… surprised enough to let the matter drop, at least for the moment. There was no winning when it was one opinion against many. But after hearing all that had been said, she was even more sure… Seto didn't deserve it.

Sugoroku just smiled at Jou in approval as the match continued on. Siegfried was sacrificing Valkyries Zweite and Erste to summon Valkyrie Brunhilde in defense mode.

Forced by Nibelung's Ring to discard his Cave Dragon, Seto countered by attacking with his one remaining Blue Eyes, but by giving up 1000 defense points, Valkyrie Brunhilde remained on the field. After setting one card face down, Seto ended his turn.

Siegfried switched Brunhilde to attack mode, which activated her special ability, raising her attack power by 300, then played Enchanted Sword Nothung, which instantly removed Seto's dragon from play while boosting Brunhilde's attack by 400 points. Then, with his Fortune Chariot in the graveyard, he was able to play the magic card Pegasus Wings, which allowed Brunhilde to attack Seto's life points directly, though at half strength for the turn. Seto's Shrink trap card mitigated even more damage, but by the end of the turn, the brunette was down to just 550 life points.

"To think, by the end of my next turn, I will finally have my revenge on you!" Siegfried yelled across the field in glee.

"What the hell are you babbling about?" Seto asked, his voice clipped.

"You know full well what I am referring to, Herr Kaiba. Your father stole the military contract that my father spent years negotiating for. It destroyed my father… and our family's business. Ever since then, I have thought of nothing but revenge. When I heard that Kaiba Corp. had entered the gaming business, Schroider Corp. followed. I was certain I could come up with a new invention, a holographic duel system, that would revolutionize gaming and bring me the success I deserved! But on the morning I was scheduled to present my invention to Industrial Illusions, my flight was delayed, and you took advantage of that delay to present your prototype to Herr Crawford, thus stealing the contract from me!" He paused in his rant to consider the cards on the field. "How appropriate then that my Pegasus Wings will be the instrument of your destruction, for once you lose, I wouldn't be surprised if Herr Crawford reconsiders the wisdom of allying with a company such as yours."

"Considering that you've just been revealed as a bitter, vengeful hacker with no regard for the well-being of others, I sincerely doubt you'll be hearing from Pegasus anytime soon," Seto told his adversary, throwing a sideways glance at the CEO of Industrial Illusions for good measure. Pegasus inclined his head at him, but did not join in the debate. "Besides, what happened in the past between your father and Gozaburo Kaiba has nothing to do with me. I'm not Gozaburo. So get over it." He drew two cards, then said, "Enough talk. I believe we were in the middle of a duel. So I play Graceful Charity, which allows me to draw three more cards as long as I discard two from my hand, removing them from play. So I will discard my Blue Eyes, as well as this trap card…"

"You are discarding a Blue Eyes? But why?" Siegfried asked, shocked.

"Because by removing both a light and dark dragon from play, I can special summon this. Come forth, Chaos Emperor Dragon!"

Siegfried's eyes widened momentarily at the monster's 3000 attack points, but then he laughed. "So what? It doesn't matter. My Enchanted Sword Nothung removes all dragons from play."

"Chaos Emperor Dragon's special ability allows him to remove all cards from our hands and the field and sends them straight to the card graveyard. Plus, you'll take 300 points of damage per card that is destroyed."

"Ah, but even so, you cannot afford the 1000 life points to do such a thing!"

"There's nothing I can't afford. I'll place this card face down, then I'll use Emergency Provisions, which destroys my trap card but in return, gives me 1000 life points. Now Chaos Emperor Dragon, destroy everything in your path!"

With the field wiped clean, Siegfried angrily drew once again. "A minor setback. Because now I play Pot of Greed," and he drew two more cards, "and then this, Magical Alms! Not only does it increase my life points by 1000, it also allows both of us to gain 500 life points for each magic card we predict we'll play. But guess wrong, and you lose 1000 life points for each card fewer than that which you predict. For my turn, I predict I will use one magic card – Final Light! It allows me to summon one light monster at the cost of 1000 life points, and I choose Valkyrie Brunhilde! Oh, and it allows you to summon a monster from your graveyard as well, as long as it has 2000 attack or less."

Seto grunted, selecting Cave Dragon, which was swiftly destroyed by Brunhilde, knocking Seto's life points down to 950.

"Now you must predict how many magic cards you will use. But you have less than 1000 life points; you cannot afford to guess wrong!"

Seto drew, then boldly announced, "Then, I will use four magic cards this turn." The spectators all gasped, but Seto barely noticed them. He could feel his cards beneath his fingers, urging him on, and Yami's mounting excitement at the thought of him pulling off this feat. It would take a perfect draw; he couldn't afford anything else.

"What?" Siegfried guffawed. Surely his opponent had finally cracked under the strain of the duel! He was only holding one card at the moment… he couldn't possibly play four in a single turn!

"First, I play this, Card of Demise. It allows me to draw five cards as long as I discard my entire hand in five turns, not that you'll survive that long. Next, I play Soul Release, which allows me to select up to five cards from our graveyard, and remove them from the game. I will chose Chaos Emperor Dragon for that fate. Then I play Spell Reproduction, which allows me to bring a magic card back from the graveyard, as long as I discard two first. So I elect to bring back Dimension Fusion, which, at the cost of 2000 life points, allows us to bring back the monsters which have been removed from the game."

"No, not that!" Siegfriend shrieked, but nothing could stop Chaos Emperor Dragon, Luster Dragon #2, and all three Blue Eyes White Dragons from returning to the field. The crowd went wild at the sight of five dragons being summoned in a single move.

"Luster Dragon #2, attack his Valkyrie!" Seto ordered. But with Brunhilde at 3300 attack points, the dragon was destroyed, and Seto's life points dropped to a precarious 50 points.

"What was that for? Are you crazy?" Siegfried taunted, so focused on Seto's pittance of life points that he barely registered that his Valkyrie Brunhilde had dropped to 3000 attack points with the destruction of Luster Dragon #2.

Seto ignored him, focusing instead on the dragon before him, and the way Yami's eyes were now skimming over his body. "Chaos Emperor Dragon, attack!"

As both monsters had the same amount of attack points, they both should have been destroyed in combat, but Brunhilde remained on the field after giving up 1000 defense points, dropping her stats to 2700 attack and 1000 defense.

With just the three Blue Eyes White Dragons now left on his side of the field, Seto took a moment to savor his impending victory, framed within the beating wings of his mighty beasts. He hadn't planned on dueling in this tournament. He hadn't planned on dueling competitively again at all. And yet, he had brought his deck with him to America. And he had redone the holograms for the BEWDs as well, though he thought they'd never see battle publicly, though at the time he hadn't had a moment to spare. He was glad that he had managed to find the time though, because it granted him a memory like this.

His holograms of the Blue Eyes had always been magnificent by most people's standards… majestic and powerful, but they had felt wanting to him, being beautiful physically, but empty on the inside. He had wanted to give them a spark of life. It was the least he could do to acknowledge that they had always been real to him.

The resulting trio of dragons were now bigger than ever, jostling for space on the dueling field, and really almost seemed to be alive, each with its own distinct personality. One seemed playful, like an overgrown dog with monstrously large teeth, occasionally nipping at its siblings. Another bellowed its challenge to the world, electricity arcing between its open jaws, its neck arched, its chest puffed in pride. And the one in the middle soared above its two comrades, mighty wings outstretched as if it were straining to escape to the skies above.

Exhilarated as he was at the sight, he couldn't help but notice that he had left a space for the fourth dragon, though he was keenly aware that the spot would never be filled. He figured he deserved to live with that knowledge though. Even if he had the card, he had damaged it himself, and that was something he couldn't undo, no matter what.

Shaking his head, he steeled himself and looked Siegfried straight in the eye. He didn't know why that was bothering him now. There was a duel to be won. It would have to suffice, since he couldn't have what he really wanted. "Blue Eyes, attack his Valkyrie Brunhilde!"

Valkyrie Brunhilde's shield splintered as her defense dropped down to zero, and for the first time, there was defeat in Siegfried's eyes. He knew what was coming…

Seto's second dragon destroyed Brunhilde, leaving Siegfried wide open for direct attack.

"Auf wiedersehen," Seto said smugly, feeling his heart racing in time with his lover's as the third dragon surged forward to attack, wiping out the remainder of Siegfried's life points.

Stunned, the German dropped to his knees, his cards scattering around him like fallen leaves, while Seto laughed triumphantly in victory. He'd just been utterly humiliated… but it wasn't over yet! He looked over at the celebration taking place in the reserved seating section, and took satisfaction in the fact that not all his trap cards had been revealed quite yet…

Throughout the stadium and all around the world, Duel Monsters fans erupted into frenzied cheering at the tremendous duel they had just witnessed. With his win, Seto had managed to turn the tide of public opinion in his favor once more. Now everyone knew that Seto was the superior duelist. Now everyone knew that Siegfried was responsible for the problems with the rides the day before. Now Seto would be able to count the tournament and the opening of the theme park as successes.

Grinning broadly at his own victory, Seto jumped off the dueling platform and quickly headed for the exit, disappearing backstage as the crowd began chanting his name. He had an itch to scratch, and not much time to do it. There was still one more duel left before the tournament was over…

Yami must've felt the same, because he suddenly appeared in the hallway beside his boyfriend, a glint in his eye. Noa had once said that dueling was like foreplay for them… well, he hadn't been too far off the truth…

Moments later, Mokuba and Noa ran up to join the pair, gleefully congratulating their big brother on his win. They were as excited as could be. "That was the greatest thing ever!" Mokuba enthused.

"You really showed that ass who's boss!" Noa added.

Seto smiled in acknowledgement, then turned as he heard Isono calling to him from the doorway. "What is it?"

"Mr. Kaiba, what should we do with Mr. von Schroider?"

"Who cares? He can't do anything now… in fact, let him stay. I wouldn't want to be a bad host, now would I?"

"What you really mean is, you want to rub your win in his face," Noa muttered, but he approved of that. Siegfried deserved to be miserable after all the damage he'd done.

Seto just smirked. "Isono, announce that the championship duel will take place in half an hour at the Blue Eyes Fortress. That should give the crowd enough time to get there with a minimum of downtime. As for me, I have… some business to attend to." He slipped his arm around Yami's waist as the ex-spirit laughed, his crimson eyes glittering with anticipation.

"Uh… yes sir…" Isono stammered, his face red. He'd had too much exposure to his boss' bedroom habits to pretend that he didn't know the real reason for the delay. But at least he now had an excuse to disappear into the relative safety of the frenzied stadium.

"Well, I guess we'll go and get things set up. Just um, try not to take too long, okay?" Mokuba told Seto. Noa tittered beside him.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Seto said, even as he grabbed Yami's hand and then ducked into a dressing room, the door clicking shut behind them.

Watching the two disappear, all Noa could say was, "Are these dressing rooms soundproofed?" before he ran off, laughing at the look on his boyfriend's face. But he didn't really care either way. He'd be celebrating too if he were in their shoes.

* * *

The dressing room was pretty minimally furnished, with a few dressing tables and a neat stack of folding chairs in a rack in the corner. Certainly there was nothing large enough to be used as a bed, but Seto wasn't put off. He led Yami towards the far corner, where there was a three way mirror positioned around a raised, carpeted platform. It would do.

Dumping his coat and briefcase on the floor and kicking off his shoes, Seto fought to remove his trousers and boxers, almost tripping over them in his hurry. He pulled his shirt up just enough so that it would be out of the way and told his boyfriend, "Let's make this quick. We don't have much time." Then he leaned over and shoved his tongue down Yami's throat.

The former Pharaoh couldn't help but laugh into his lover's mouth. But he didn't really object. They were both horny as hell thanks to the duel. And the tournament was still going on… he had to be there to give Yugi his support, though at the moment, that thought barely registered in his mind.

_(Lemon deleted for ffnet - it's only available on my site)_

When it was finally over… when the two of them sat bonelessly curled together on the floor, their bodies sticking together a little, Seto finally released Yami from his tight hold, then listed to the side in exhaustion. The duel and the promise of celebratory sex had made him forget just how tired he was, despite the few hours of sleep he'd gotten during the night. But he was starting to feel it now.

"I suppose we better get dressed," Yami sighed as soon as he found his voice, untangling his arms from his shirt to pull it back on. He grabbed a towel from the briefcase to clean up with, then tossed it to Seto when he was done.

"Well…" Seto glanced at his watch. "Shit, how'd we take up so much time?"

Yami looked over at the timepiece. "We still have almost 20 minutes to get there."

"Yeah, and we're half naked, and it's a 10 minute walk away." Yami stared at him, pursing his lips. "Now, don't look at me like that. We won't be late, I swear. We can take one of the electric cars to get there a bit quicker, okay?" Seto stood up a bit unsteadily and began hunting for the rest of his clothing.

_Seto… are you going to be okay?_ Yami asked as the young CEO swayed a little.

_Why wouldn't I be?_

Yami began to protest. _Baby…_

_I'll be fine,_ he insisted. _There's just Yugi's duel, and after that…_

_Mokuba's birthday party this evening,_ the crimson-eyed man reminded him, his countenance growing stormy.

_Shit, um… _"Yeah." Yami was still eyeing him, shaking his head a little in disapproval. "We don't really have time to argue about this, not if you want to make it to Yugi's match before it starts."

"Then you should consider restoring the link we had going yesterday. I don't understand why you stopped it, and why you sent me home. It won't hurt…"

"No, Yami…" Seto shut his eyes. Yami would be so pissed if he slept through Yugi's entire duel. And he still wasn't convinced that it wasn't harmful in some way. He wasn't willing to risk anything happening to Yami ever again. "Look, I'll survive. It's only for a little longer."

"Bullshit."

"Please, Yami… don't do this." He checked his watch again, emphasizing the fact that time was continuing to tick by as they argued. "Yugi's going to be disappointed if you're a no-show."

"As will Mokuba, if you're too exhausted to attend his party."

"That won't happen. But if you want to keep wasting time, fine, we can sit here and argue." And Seto stubbornly sat down, not bothering to finish fastening his pants.

_Of all the stubborn, infuriating… _"We're going to talk about this later."

"Maybe…" He put his hands behind his head. "Hey, he's your aibou, not mine."

"Fucking hell, Seto!"

The brunette smirked, feeling pleased that he had the upper hand, but Yami turned around after a moment and gathered up the rest of his clothes in a huff, clearly unwilling to concede defeat even though he was being forced to give up the immediate battle.

Oh well, Seto supposed he could live with a stalemate – after all, he didn't _really_ want Yami to be mad at him. And it'd be bad manners for him to not make an appearance at the last duel of the tournament. So he slowly stood up and began gathering up his stuff as well, pausing to stretch in order to hide the fact that his vision was blurring, ignoring the weakness in his legs as he followed Yami out of the room.

Seto told himself that it didn't matter, that he wasn't that tired anyway. And he figured if he told himself that enough, his body would come to believe it… But just in case, he made sure he took a hold of Yami's hand once he had caught up to him; no point in walking alone when there was the _extremely _remote possibility that his legs might just give out under him.

Yami gave him a questioning look, but didn't pull away. A stalemate was fine with him, too. Yugi was waiting. There'd be time enough later on to continue with the discussion.

* * *

TBC

Author's Notes:   
- Major / notable changes from canon:  
1) This chapter covers episodes 194 through the very beginning of 196.  
2) While Seto and Siegfried's actual duel stayed consistent with canon, I did play with the dialogue a little, changing it where it suited me and leaving it alone in other places. Took my influence from both the sub and dub scripts to try and get something that made sense (to me), that I could imagine them actually saying to each other.  
- Admittedly, this was a chapter I was really looking forward to (and hopefully it showed in the finished product). The thing with the 4th Blue Eyes was really important to me, though originally it wasn't slated to happen in this story arc. But I think it ended up fitting in pretty well with the themes I have going in this arc, so I hope it ends up working to expectations : )  
- Re: Viking documentary. Well, it's sorta a joke, albeit a bad one… Sieg's deck draws off Norse mythology. And I've been watching too much History Channel to think of anything more interesting.  
- The deleted lemon is available on the version of this chapter on my site - go to my profile for the link to the site.


	9. Ch 8: Total Involvement

Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! is the creation of Kazuki Takahashi. Total Involvement is a film by Bill Kaiwa. "Eye of the Tiger" is performed and recorded by Survivor. This is a not-for-profit fanwork and I do not own any of these characters.

* * *

**Summer of '69**

**Ch. 8: Total Involvement**

* * *

Yugi told himself that there was nothing to be nervous about; he enjoyed dueling. And Leon was a worthy opponent; he ought to be appreciative of that. He didn't even mind the prospect of dueling in front of a huge crowd since that was something that he'd learned to deal with in his years as a duelist. But nothing at the tournament had been going quite right. And he couldn't help the feeling that the worst was yet to come.

Yami and Seto had disappeared shortly after Seto's duel – the reason being pretty obvious to anyone who knew them well – but he knew they'd show up in time for his duel. Mokuba assured him of as much, though it wasn't really necessary. Yugi had faith in his other half.

Perhaps his link with Yami had something to do with his unease. He knew Yami was worried about Seto, and that the more stressed Seto became, the more that would affect Yami and trickle down to Yugi in turn. Even with their link minimized as it was, it still affected his moods on the most basic level. In a way, he had hoped that a quick bout of sexual activity would help relieve some of the pressure Seto felt, but considering the time, he had to figure they were done by now and yet, Yami was upset as ever.

Drumming his fingers on the table, he tried to redirect his attention to the various Duel Monsters cards laid out before him. He had been working on assembling his deck for his match against Leon. There were some thirty cards already loosely gathered in his hand. He needed to finish picking out the rest. But just as he was adding Watapon to his deck, the door opened and Rebecca peeked in.

"I'm sorry… am I bothering you?"

Yugi sighed inwardly since yes, he was busy, but he waved her in anyway. "What's up?"

She looked somewhat pleased, walking over to push aside a few of the cards before seating herself on the table next to Yugi. "I… wanted to talk to you about something."

_Now?_ "Is it really important? I mean, can it wait?"

Rebecca pouted a little, then edged a wee bit closer to her love interest. "Well, I suppose it can… but I need to talk to you without Anzu around, and she's around all the time."

"Well, she is my girlfriend and all…"

Feeling her temper flare a bit at the reminder, she bit out, "I really like you, Yugi. And I think I understand you better than she ever would. We're both duelists after all. But first you have to give me a chance…"

_Oh God, is she making a play for me? Here, now??_ Yugi wondered as Rebecca scooted close enough to bump her leg against his hand as he attempted to add another card to his deck. It wasn't that he didn't know Rebecca was interested in him; she had been for years. But it had always been an innocent sort of puppy love, not the strangely aggressive weird obsession thing that had been going on the last few days.

Yugi wracked his mind for something to say that wouldn't sound too mean. Sure he liked her, but only as a friend. He supposed there was no easy way to say it. He needed to be honest and up front with her. There just was no spark there for him. She almost felt like – and he knew he couldn't tell her this – a somewhat bratty little cousin. And it had nothing to do with Anzu either… he didn't think he'd be romantically interested in Rebecca even if he had never dated Anzu, not that he could really tell her that either. But he had to tell her something…

"Um, Rebecca, come down and have a seat," he began, nodding at a chair a few feet away from him. It was hard trying to talk to her while she was swinging her legs somewhat nervously just inches away from his head. _Man, I hate this._ "Well, I like you too…"

"YES! Oh Yugi, you don't know how happy that makes me!" she blurted out, grabbing his arm in excitement.

Yugi gently extracted himself from her grasp. "… but… not in the way you want. Look…" and he scratched the back of his head, "you're a good friend. You mean a lot to me, as a friend. But that's all."

Rebecca gaped at him like a fish. "But… you haven't ever even gone out with me! If you'd just give me a chance, I'm sure…"

Yugi shook his head slowly. "I'm sorry, I can't do that. I'm with Anzu. And I love her. I've loved her for a long time."

"God, you make it sound like you're married to her or something!" Rebecca huffed.

"No, not yet… but I'd like to be someday," he said thoughtfully. He hadn't really considered it before being that they were still young, but it was the truth.

For a second, it looked like the blonde was going to launch into another tirade, but she stopped when she saw the rather dreamy, distant look on his face. It was the look of someone that was truly in love. Stunned by the realization, she visibly deflated. "You… you really mean that, don't you?" she hesitantly asked.

"Yeah."

Rebecca looked down at her hands and did not say anything else. An uncomfortable silence settled in the room, thick as a fog. Despite his distraction, Yugi began going through his cards yet again. He needed to finish assembling his deck, even if his mind wasn't able to really concentrate on that task.

A minute later, Rebecca sighed. There was a slight rustling of clothing as she turned to the spiky-haired duelist. "Hey, Yugi?"

"Hm?"

"If… if for any reason, if things didn't work out with Anzu… and I asked you out, you'd at least give me a shot, right?"

His fingers stilled. "Maybe. I don't know. Probably… but I couldn't promise that."

"But, you would at least think about it, right?"

He considered it, then nodded.

"And you'd at least give me more consideration than Vivian, right?"

Yugi smiled slightly in response, then nodded once again.

"And… we're still friends right?"

He looked over at her. "Do you still have the card I gave you?"

"The Ties of Friendship?" She plucked her deck from the protective pouch clipped to the waistband of her skirt, and pulled out the card in question.

"We'll always be friends," Yugi told her as she gazed at the card. "I hope you'll always remember that."

Of course she would. It was a very special card. He had made her feel special when he gave it to her. But maybe she had been reading into that too much… maybe the card meant exactly what it said it stood for. A bond between friends.

The fourth Blue Eyes had bound their grandfathers in friendship as well. Rebecca couldn't help but think back to that. She had thought she was okay with Sugoroku having it, but when he had suggested giving it to Seto, she had changed her mind. She was confused; it felt like he was throwing away the symbol of his friendship with her grandfather. If that was the case, if he just didn't want it… then she wanted it. And yet her grandfather had been okay with it, and Yugi had been especially insistent that Seto should have it. What was the reasoning behind that? What was he hoping to accomplish? To gain Seto's friendship? That didn't make sense… weren't they already friends? There was something she was missing… something that everyone else knew. She was tempted to ask, knowing that Yugi would explain it to her, but she wanted to figure it out for herself. She was sick of being the clueless one.

Besides, Yugi had a duel to prep for. And she had taken up enough of his time…

She put the card away, then leaned forward and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "Thanks." Then she stood, smoothing down her skirt, turning to go.

"Rebecca… are you going to be okay?"

"Sure." She whirled back around to smile brightly at him, but there was a residual confusion and a hint of sadness in her eyes. He supposed it'd take her a while to get over being turned down, but that was the risk she knew she had to take when she had decided to approach him. "Oh, and good luck on your duel," she breathed hastily just before rushing out the door.

"Thank you," Yugi responded. But she had already left.

* * *

Like Yugi, Leon was anxious about the upcoming match. It was easily the biggest match of his career, and he was afraid that his nerves would get the best of him. But unlike the man he idolized, Leon was very excited as well… he'd been waiting forever it seemed for the chance to duel Yugi, and now his opportunity had finally arrived. 

He was currently sequestered in a small room backstage, finalizing his deck. He had taken opportunity on the long walk over to the Blue Eyes Fortress to go over strategy in his head, thinking of what cards he'd seen Yugi use in those old championship duels he still had on tape, and what he would need to do to counter those moves. So once he arrived at the castle in the center of the park, all he had to do was review his deck and make sure that he had all those bases covered. Easier said than done though, considering that Yugi was a well-rounded and formidable duelist…

A familiar, nasal voice drifted into the small room, catching Leon by surprise. "Congratulations on winning the tournament."

"Siegfried, what are you doing here?" Leon asked, looking up as the German stepped all the way into the room, letting the door click shut behind him. The teen was a little surprised to see that none of KaibaLand's security team had trailed in behind Siegfried, though he had no doubt that some security officers were still floating around somewhere. It wasn't like Seto Kaiba was going to take his eye off Siegfried just yet…

"What's wrong? I just came to wish my little brother good luck."

Leon froze momentarily, but then he remembered that the security camera in the corner of the room had been deactivated since he had been working on assembling his deck. He turned back to Siegfried. "Ah… thanks..."

Siegfried gave the redhead a thin smile, then slipped a Duel Monsters card out of his pocket and handed it to him face down. "I brought you something. Think of it as a lucky charm."

Hesitantly, Leon accepted it, but when he looked down, he was even more confused. "The Golden Castle of Stromberg?" He recognized it as the card that Siegfried had won in an earlier tournament that had been hosted by Pegasus himself, but he didn't understand why his brother was handing it to him now.

"It's a very special card," Siegfried explained before Leon even had a chance to say anything else. "I didn't get to use it in my duel against Herr Kaiba. But perhaps… Who knows, you may find a use for it."

"I didn't think it was playable," Leon replied, flipping it over as if doing so would reveal something useful. The card only had an image and its name printed on it; there were no stats or explanation of effects listed.

"Of course it is," Siegfried answered smoothly. "But it's completely unique. Perhaps that is why it doesn't look like other cards."

"But what does it do?"

"For starters, it allows you to summon a four star monster from your deck to the field once per turn…"

"For starters? But…"

"Tch, so many questions, Leonhard. Don't you trust me?"

"… Well yeah, of course," he answered slowly, removing a card from his deck and slipping The Golden Castle of Stromberg in instead. But he wondered why Siegfried had shown up now to talk to him after having ignored him the entire tournament due to his "grand plan" – a plan that Leon had reservations about from the start. True, Leon had hacked into his fair share of databases, and he too had assumed an alias for the purpose of dueling, but… he had only done those things so that he could duel on his own terms. He certainly had never thought about doing those things to undermine another company.

Siegfried was beaming now, obviously oblivious to Leon's discomfort. "Don't worry, you will do splendidly, I'm sure. But I have another favor to ask of you."

"Another favor?"

"Yes – Yugi Mutou may be the defending world champion of Duel Monsters, but why settle for dueling the world champion when the King of Games is here at this very tournament?"

"What do you mean?" Leon asked helplessly. All he could do was shoot questions at Siegfried in an effort to follow his train of thought.

A cold glimmer sparked in Siegfried's eye. "I want you to challenge his twin brother, Yami Mutou, instead."

Flummoxed, the teen stammered, "Wha… but, the championship…"

"… Is unimportant in comparison. You must do this! Beat the King of Games and take his title. It's the only way our company can overtake Kaiba Corp."

Leon shook his head. "You're not making any sense. If I were world champion…"

"That would not be enough. Don't you see, Leonhard? Yami Mutou has the reputation of being unbeatable; that is how he earned his nickname. It is why he is so marketable. And also, he just happens to be Seto Kaiba's lover. So Kaiba Corp.'s stability and success is dependent on the fortunes of the King of Games. If you were to defeat him and claim his title, Schroider Corp. would be the home of the new King of Games. Think of it, little brother… think of what that would mean for our family's company!"

Had Siegfried become so consumed by his hatred for the Kaibas that he had completely lost his mind? It was bad enough that Leon's tournament win had been tarnished by the fact that Siegfried had been disqualified. But the thought of giving up the chance to be world champ… Leon couldn't understand that. If he became the world champion, he'd bring a lot of prestige and honor to his family's name. Besides, he'd been dreaming of dueling for the world championship. He'd been dreaming of the chance to duel his idol, Yugi. And now his brother was asking him to throw all of that away.

What was the point of going the extra step to be the King of Games? It wasn't an official title of any sort and thus wasn't really worth anything… Leon didn't think Kaiba Corp. had ever had an actual advertising campaign centered on Yami's accomplishments, despite what Siegfried claimed. But Yami was Seto's boyfriend. And Siegfried was desperate to get back at Seto, no matter what…

Leon would do it though; despite his own doubts, if that was what Siegfried needed him to do, he'd do it. Anything to help him. But it wasn't a perfect plan by far… "What if he won't duel me?"

"That is why you must do this here, now… If you refuse to duel anyone else, Herr Kaiba will likely force his lover to accept your challenge because he has promised the world a champion's duel," the pink-haired man insisted forcefully. "His company can't afford more setbacks."

_But the world knows that you're responsible for those setbacks,_ Leon thought, wondering how Siegfried's insane plans were affecting their family's name and company. Then he remembered that there was another option, one that would most likely work, one that would spare Schroider Corp. any further harm… but just as quickly as the thought came to him, he dismissed it. He hadn't told Siegfried about Mokuba and Noa's relationship yet, but now realized, he just couldn't. It wasn't like he had made a promise to the younger Kaiba brothers to keep their relationship a secret. Heck, they didn't even know that he knew! But he just couldn't do that to them. They were nice people. And they were a lot like him. They didn't deserve to have their lives ruined just so that Siegfried would have some leverage to use against their older brother.

He held in a sigh. If Siegfried ever found out that he had withheld that information, he'd be pissed. But Leon had made up his mind about it.

Lifting his head to look his brother squarely in the eye, Leon finally said, "All right, I'll do it."

The hard, crazed look in Siegfried's eyes faded a little. He smiled. "Thank you, Leonhard. You make our family proud." He patted the teen on the shoulder, unmistakable fondness in the gesture, then stepped back towards the door. "I will be watching, and ready to celebrate your victory!" he enthused, and then he swept out of the room.

Leon waited until the door shut again, then stood up slowly, feeling sick and unhappy. He felt like a condemned man getting ready to take his final walk. But he had given his big brother his word and wasn't going to let him down. Pocketing his deck, he finally headed out of the room and began making his way to the dueling arena several floors above. He'd make his brother very proud of him indeed.

* * *

As planned, Seto had one of the park's security officers drive him and Yami to the site of the final duel in a electric cart, but thanks to the swelling of the crowd, it soon became obvious that walking the rest of the way would be much faster than trying to drive. Yami wasn't thrilled about that, not because he minded walking, but he had sworn that Seto had nodded off on the way over and had his doubts that his taller lover would be able to find the energy to walk even that short distance. But in typical fashion, Seto brushed off Yami's concerns and rapidly strode through the excited crowd to the back entrance, holding the door open just long enough for Yami to follow him in while accompanying security guards held off fans trailing behind the famous pair. 

Once inside, they immediately took an elevator up to the top of the castle, which featured a rooftop dueling arena surrounded by various spectator balconies. One balcony had camera crews and equipment, while the previously eliminated duelists from the tournament stood in another. In the highest balcony, which offered a spectacular view of the dueling arena as well as the surrounding park, Yugi-tachi were gathered and jostling for space along the railing, for Isono was already beginning to announce the rules for the final duel.

"Well, there you guys are!" Malik yelled as soon as he spotted Seto and Yami. Everyone turned and chorused their greetings. Their voices reminded Seto of a flock of crows, and he grimaced. It was hard enough for him to concentrate as it was.

Valon's laughter rose above the other voices. "And here I was thinking that you two might miss the show. Why, what have you been up to, mates?" he asked in a husky voice, throwing Yami a wink for good measure.

Seto ignored the Aussie in favor of looking for his brothers. The balcony was so crowded that he felt like he was suffocating, and he also didn't feel like talking to anyone. At least Mokuba and Noa would understand that without having to be told. Finally, he spotted the teens at the farthest end of the balcony, and turned to join them without saying a word. Everyone parted silently to let him through.

"Sorry, he's not in a great mood," Yami said quickly before Valon had a chance to bitch about Seto's behavior.

Valon just shrugged. He might have said something, but one look at Seto as he walked by convinced him to shut his mouth. Valon wasn't one to kick a man when he was down, and Seto looked to be seconds away from collapse. He'd barely seen Seto during the entire tournament – at least, not up close and personal, but it was painfully clear to him that the young CEO was worn down and beat, even if he was managing to hold himself together admirably in case any cameras were turned in his direction.

At least the tournament was almost over. Yugi and Leon's match, which would be starting any moment now, would serve as a nice ending for the tournament regardless of which duelist won, because it'd be an honest duel, and a memorable one too. And at least they knew who was responsible for all the problems. Siegfried had been found out and stopped; Kaiba Corp. would be absolved of the problems that had plagued the amusement park the last several days.

Speaking of Siegfried, Otogi spotted the man skulking around the entrance to the balcony. He was walking bad news. "What's he doing here?" the green-eyed game lover asked loudly, trying to get everyone's attention for a minute.

Honda turned and saw who it was, and began cracking his knuckles. "Want me to get rid of him, Yami?"

Yami's eyes narrowed dangerously at the sight of Siegfried, but he shook his head at Honda's offer. He didn't want a fight breaking out with cameras rolling and Yugi's duel just moments away. Not only would it look bad, but it'd take attention away from Yugi's moment in the spotlight.

With a smirk, Siegfried pushed away from the wall he'd been leaning against, and stepped out into the sunlight.

"You're not welcome here," Yami told him firmly as Seto made his way over, fists clenching in agitation.

"Oh, you will have to forgive me," the pink-haired man responded with false sweetness. "I was trying to find the balcony for the guest duelists and ended up here by mistake. But seeing how splendid the view is from here… I think I shall stay." With that, he skirted past Yami and squeezed himself into a sliver of space between Pegasus and the balcony wall.

"What part of 'get lost' do you not understand?" Vivian angrily asked him. She knew she was only allowed to be there because Mai had personally invited her to join the group on the balcony. She saw no reason for the creepy CEO of Schroider Corp. to get the same privilege when he was nothing more than a snake.

"What are you talking about? This is Herr Kaiba's party, no one else's, hmm? So he can throw me out if he wishes, if he's such a poor host."

Even Yami was surprised as Seto made a sound that resembled a bark mixed with laughter. "Well, I wouldn't want to be a poor host, now would I?" Then he spun around and made his way back to rejoin his siblings.

The group gawked at Seto's back. What was he doing? Wasn't he going to kick Siegfried out? Had he finally lost it? Everyone turned to Yami, to see what he'd say.

Yami was just as confused. He began to follow after his lover. _Seto?_

_I figure he can't do any damage while everyone's standing around, watching him. So logically, this is the best place for him to be._

Well, that made sense, even if it also made things a bit uncomfortable for everyone involved. _Ah, I guess…_ Seeing his friends staring at him, waiting for a response, he just shrugged, which was tantamount to approving of Siegfried's presence on the balcony.

A loud cheer went up from the thousands of spectators ringing the fortress, causing Yami and the others to tear their attention away from Siegfried to focus instead on the arena floor. Leon was slowly walking out onto the rooftop, his body stiff, his face surprisingly grim. Isono introduced him to the crowd as the challenger to the title, the undefeated prodigy, the winner of the KC Grand Prix, but none of those things seemed to cheer the redheaded teen up at all.

"Huh, what's up with that?" Rebecca asked. Leon had been so excited about getting the chance to duel Yugi, so why was he so sour-faced? Was he really that upset that he had won the tournament on a disqualification? "Look at Leon… he looks like he's attending a funeral."

"He's probably nervous. I can't blame him if he is," Bakura responded.

"Yeah, this duel is a pretty big deal," Amelda added.

"Still, you'd think he'd be at least a little bit excited," Rebecca grumbled, still a bit peeved at what had transpired earlier.

As Leon sullenly parked himself next to Isono, Seto's chief of security nodded at the teen, then raised his voice once again to announce Yugi's arrival.

The crowd greeted the reigning world champion with an even more enthusiastic round of yells and cheers. Unlike Leon, Yugi was much more upbeat about the match, walking out briskly, a man with a purpose. He waved at the cameras and gave a thumbs up to his friends lining the balcony above. They all responded with calls of encouragement.

_Glad to see you made it,_ Yugi told Yami brightly when he finally spotted the former Pharaoh.

Yami snorted. _Was there ever any doubt? _Yugi's mental laughter flooded his mind. But despite the lightheartedness of their banter, Yami knew that Yugi was taking this duel seriously. And he knew that Yugi had been looking forward to matching wits with Leon, who despite his age had proved himself a mature and worthy competitor.

_Nah, I knew you'd make it. Both of you._

Yami was very proud of his other half. Yugi had truly come into his own as a duelist, and his status as world champion was definite proof of that – he wasn't just a shorter version of Yami. And Yami was no longer his shadow, living only for the game. It was funny how many things had changed from four years ago… and yet, some things would never change. _Good luck, Aibou. _

Yugi just gave Yami a small nod, took a moment to smile up at his grandfather and Anzu, who blew him a quick kiss, then approached Leon and Isono. Leon took a step forward. Yugi gave him an encouraging smile, then offered his opponent his hand. The younger duelist seemed hesitant, his eyes flickering to the highest balcony momentarily as if he were unsure of what to do, but finally, he accepted the handshake.

"Good luck," Yugi told Leon in all sincerity, but the younger duelist just peered at him from under his bangs, saying nothing.

"The duel is ready to begin! Who will be the victor and world champion?" Isono announced as the two duelists exchanged decks and began shuffling.

After many seconds passed, the two handed the decks back to their respective owners, then turned and began making their way back to their sides of the arena. Yugi reached his platform first, determination in his eyes as he placed his cards in his Duel Disk and activated it, but Leon dragged his feet, slowly climbing into his platform before turning to face Yugi, his eyes continuing to dart around before finally landing on the balcony again. He held his deck out, and then hesitated…

Siegfried stood with his arms folded, a predatory look on his face. _What are you doing, Leonhard? _Siegfried's eyes seemed to say. _Did you forget? Yugi Mutou is not to be your opponent!_

Leon knew that. He hadn't forgotten his promise. But… his dream had always been to duel the world champion, Yugi. And that was as close as he was going to get, hearing his name announced as the challenger, seeing Yugi walking out to meet him, shuffling his legendary deck. Once he issued his challenge, it'd be too late. He would be too disgraced to duel again. He realized that. He had only wanted to make the feeling last a little longer.

Taking one final, deep breath, he yelled, "Wait, I have something to say," into the microphone installed into his platform.

_Do it,_ Siegfried silently urged his brother. _Do it now! Capture the glory due to our family!_

The crowd murmured in conjecture. Isono looked confused, as did Yugi. Leon tightened his lips, then said, "I refuse to duel Yugi Mutou for the world championship title. Instead, I'm issuing a challenge to Yami Mutou, the King of Games, for his title!"

"What?!" Seto yelped. His shock was echoed by everyone on the balcony, save Siegfried, who merely smirked at the chaos. Leon was essentially forfeiting, giving up his chance to be crowned world champion. But why? And why now?

"If Yami Mutou refuses," and Leon lowered his hand as well as his head, "then you will have no duel at all. I'll walk out of here."

"But… I've already initiated the duel!" Yugi protested, his voice barely registering above the buzz of the crowd.

Poor Isono wasn't sure what to do. It wasn't his decision to make; it was Seto's. But his boss just stood there on the balcony, momentarily stunned. The spectators began getting antsy. The various media representatives onsite frantically reported this latest news, focusing their cameras on the grim looking redheaded teen standing on the dueling platform. Things would get really messy for Kaiba Corp. if a decision weren't made soon.

"God damn it all… what the hell is going on here?" Seto finally hissed, his hand going to his forehead. His brain felt like it was going to explode from stress. There had to be a duel, one way or another. That's what all those people had come to see. That's what he had promised to deliver to the various radio stations and television networks and advertising agencies. He couldn't let Leon just walk away. _Yami…_

_I'll duel him, if that's what you need me to do. But I don't understand what Leon's trying to prove here… he stands to gain nothing even if he were to defeat me. Does he think that Yugi won't provide enough of a challenge? Yugi's my equal. I'm almost insulted on his behalf,_ Yami spat out. He shook his head in disgust, then, upon sensing his lover's worsening headache, Yami's mental voice grew more gentle. _Seto, are you going to be okay?_

The brunette billionaire didn't answer. Instead, he said, _Yugi already put his deck in… _There was no way that Yugi could just walk away from his duel either, now that he had initiated it. He'd have to surrender, which would make Leon the world champ. The only option was…

_I know Yugi's deck just as intimately as my own, _Yami reminded Seto_. It wouldn't be a problem. _Then he pulled Yugi into the conversation. _Aibou, would you be okay with me taking over the duel, using your deck? I normally wouldn't ask, but given the special circumstances…_

_I… of course I don't mind, but… I don't understand why…_ Yugi began responding. He swallowed. _I thought Leon wanted to duel me…_

The private conversation was cut off by Siegfried's laughter. The German sauntered over to Seto, smirking nastily. Seto momentarily considered pitching the man over the railing just to get rid of him once and for all. "Well, I know you are familiar with chess, Herr Kaiba. And this is checkmate."

"What the fuck are you talking about?"

Siegfried's face split into the craziest grin. "Why, I would have thought you'd figure it out by now. Or maybe you're not as smart as you think. Have you been so busy chasing me around that you haven't noticed the other pieces on the board?" He tsked at Seto's baffled expression, and swept his arm out towards the arena. "I'd like to introduce you to my little brother – Leonhard von Schroider!!"

* * *

TBC 

Author's Notes:  
- Major / notable changes from canon:  
1) This chapter kinda covers the very beginning of episode 196. Well, it covers what would've happened if I had written it…  
2) I slightly changed the layout of the balconies in the Blue Eyes Fortress because I wanted to get everyone to stand together. In canon, Seto and Siegfried were on a balcony above Yugi-tachi.  
3) I revealed Leon's identity far sooner than in canon.  
- I don't think I've ever really addressed this before (maybe I did and forgot… you try remembering details over some 60 or 70 chapters LOL), but while Yugi-tachi are obviously aware of the truth of Yami's origins, it's not something I'd imagine they'd want to explain to the rest of the world. So as far as the public is concerned, Yami is Yugi's twin brother and used to both dueled under the name "Yugi," though Yami is now known as the King of Games whereas Yugi is legitimately the defending world champ.  
- Obviously, I'm forcing a Yami v. Leon match up. I don't know what the rules would actually be in a situation like this, but I would bet that substituting another player isn't usually part of the game. But since rules got changed all the time in the anime to suit the situation, I think I can get away with it too : )  
- Thanks to Nenya for letting me bounce ideas off her like a beta trampoline... I always forget to mention the role she plays and I feel bad : x And thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far... keep it up! I usually don't respond but be assured that I read every review I receive. And if you really can't think of anything to say, "Thanks for writing" would suffice just so I know there's living, breathing people out there : D


	10. Ch 9: The Golden Breed

Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! is the creation of Kazuki Takahashi. The Golden Breed is a film by Dale Davis. "Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man)" is performed and recorded by Styx. This is a not-for-profit fanwork and I do not own any of these characters.

* * *

**Summer of '69**

**Ch. 9: The Golden Breed**

* * *

For a moment, a fragile silence settled on top of the Blue Eyes Fortress. Siegfried has just sprung his trap, but it hadn't sunk in yet. No one could really believe it. Leon… nice, polite little Leon was…

"I can't believe it. He's Siegfried's brother…" Mokuba mumbled to himself. He and Noa had taken a liking to the redheaded teen, had treated him as a friend, had thought that he had felt the same way… what a mistake! Had it all been just an act? Mokuba thought he was a better judge of character than that.

Noa didn't want to believe it either. After all, he was the one who had first befriended Leon. He felt partially responsible for what was happening. Frustrated, Noa leaned over the balcony, demanding, "Leon, is he telling the truth?!"

Leon stood stock-still, his head bowed slightly. He didn't respond. He honestly didn't know what to say. Although he had agreed to his brother's plan and knew that sooner or later his true identity would be found out, he hadn't expected Siegfried to just out him like that. It seemed a bit premature. He had probably done it to force Seto's hand, to increase the likelihood that Yami would accept the challenge whether he wanted to or not. But now everyone knew...

"Go on Leonhard, answer the question," Siegfried urged.

Leon tried, but couldn't find his voice to answer, so he simply gave a hesitant nod, aware that all eyes were on him. Mortified, he kept his own eyes fixed on the ground.

"Shit," Noa snarled, taking a half step back. For a moment he considered going down there and taking Leon out himself, but Mokuba's hand touched his elbow, stopping him in his tracks. The black-haired teen shook his head. Escalating the situation wasn't going to help.

Sensing that everything was at a standstill until he announced his intentions, Yami pushed away from the railing and took a step towards Siegfried. He tilted his chin up, glaring at the taller man. "I accept your challenge," he said, loud enough for Isono to hear. Seto's chief of security in turn reported back to the spectators, who began applauding in approval once they'd gotten over their initial shock. At least they'd be treated to a good duel, even if it wasn't the one they originally came for.

Siegfried stared back at Yami, amusement and confidence in his turquoise eyes. "Excellent. I look forward to your defeat."

Well, at least the German wasn't easily intimidated, but Yami couldn't think of many other positive things about the man standing in front of him. "I wouldn't be so cocky if I were you. You haven't won yet," the former Pharaoh told him, his voice clipped.

"Neither have you," Siegfried smugly responded.

"I'm the King of Games. I don't lose," Yami retorted arrogantly, smirking at the sudden fury welling up in Siegfried's eyes. Before Siegfried had a chance to fire back, Yami laughed as well and waved dismissively at him as if he were a minor annoyance, heaping more insult upon injury, and turned and headed towards the stairwell.

Incensed, Siegfried spun around and screamed at Leon, "Prove him wrong! Crush him completely!"

Leon shivered a little at the hate in his brother's voice, but once again, he nodded helplessly. He felt like some sort of bobblehead doll, just nodding stupidly at everything. But the entire situation was so far out of his control he didn't know what else to say or do.

It felt to Leon like it took Yami an agonizingly long time to walk down the two flights of stairs to the arena floor, though in reality, less than a minute had passed. Yami approached Yugi's platform and accepted the Duel Disk Yugi handed him right off his forearm. Leon frowned a little. Since Yugi had already initiated their duel, his deck was still in the Duel Disk. Yami was going to have to use Yugi's cards. It wasn't going to be a fair duel at all.

As Yugi walked away, taking Leon's shot at the world championship with him, Yami got on the dueling platform and nodded at Leon, who finally set his deck into his own Duel Disk, and then at Isono, who announced the start of the match.

It was Leon's move first. The teen drew his five cards, summoned Forest Wolf in attack mode, then paused to consider his opponent. Despite having spent some time with Yami and his friends during the past few days, he couldn't help but feel like he hadn't seen the real Yami until now. At least, he hadn't felt… intimidated before. Not that Yami was any taller than him, or that much older. And he was quite slender, and dressed kind of funny - slim fitting black bondage pants, a yellow and black slashed sleeveless shirt, a collar with Seto's name on it decorating his throat. But to see him standing across the dueling field, just staring silently at him with those unusual eyes… that made the difference. Yami's gaze was so intense... unwavering in focus. He had the look of a sharp-eyed predator who had zeroed in on his prey. So despite his slight stature and unconventional appearance, he exuded the sort of confidence and presence that commanded attention as well as respect.

Leon swallowed, and finally ended his turn. Just a few moments earlier, he'd thought that Yami was going to be at a distinct disadvantage. But now he wasn't so sure about that… Certainly Yami didn't seem worried at all as he summoned Berfomet, which allowed him to special summon Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts as well. The addition of a Polymerization card fused the two together to form Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast, which took Forest Wolf down plus knocked out a 300 point chunk out of Leon's life points.

"All right, Yami!" Yugi yelled in approval of Yami's opening move. If he couldn't duel, then he'd do the next best thing – cheer as loud as possible for his other half.

Seto looked over, realizing that he'd forgotten about Yugi after he'd agreed to switch places with Yami. He shouldn't have let that slip his mind. He owed him an apology after all… it should've been Yugi's moment to shine in the tournament's spotlight, but instead, Yami was out there. It reminded him of how the two of them used to be, back when Yami was merely a spirit, only appearing for the few brief minutes that it'd take for him to duel…

Seto grimaced. He hated to think about that sort of thingAt least this time, Yami wouldn't vanish when it was all over. _Past is past; get over it_. Besides, he had an apology to deliver.

He cleared his throat to get Yugi's attention, waited for the violet-eyed man to turn to him, then in a very low voice, said, "I am sorry you got caught up in this, Yugi."

"Huh?"

"I… underestimated Siegfried," Seto admitted, his jaw tight with distaste.

"I guess we all did," Yugi mumbled back.

The brunette shook his head slightly. "But it was my responsibility to make sure this tournament went smoothly, and look what happened! You should be down there, not Yami…"

"Well, at least I won't lose my title today," Yugi joked, trying to lighten the mood a little, but upon seeing Seto's eyes darken in anger, he amended that, saying, "I was just kidding. Sorry."

Seto nodded, satisfied with their exchange, and turned his attention back to the duel in progress. It was Leon's turn, and he had played Little Red Riding Hood in defense mode. While she didn't seem outwardly powerful, like most of his monster cards, she came with a special ability which was triggered when Yami's newly summoned Obnoxious Celtic Guardian attacked and destroyed her in the next turn.

"Thanks to Little Red Riding Hood's special ability, when she's destroyed, I can summon a four star warrior monster straight to the field. So I choose Forest Hunter. His special ability allows him to remove one beast or beast-warrior monster from the game. So say goodbye to your Chimera."

Yami watched as his Chimera was eliminated by Forest Hunter's arrow, then ended his turn. He still didn't seem all that ruffled by the way the match was going, the expression on his face more curious than upset. Not that he wasn't angry about the turn of events and how they were affecting both Seto and Yugi, but he wondered… just how involved was Leon in Siegfried's plans? Was he an integral part, an active participant even… or more of an afterthought since Siegfried's original plans had gone awry? He needed to know; it'd help him come up with an appropriate course of action.

"Tell me, Leon. Why are you really here? When you said that you wanted to duel Yugi for the championship… was that just a lie?"

Leon began shaking his head. "You don't understand. Yugi's my idol… You don't know how many of his matches – and yours – I watched. I wanted to be just like you guys. I've waited all my life for the chance to challenge Yugi for the title of world champ…" Faltering, he lifted his jade green eyes to the balcony, then with increased resolve, Leon continued on, "I know I'll probably never be able duel publicly again, but… this is for my family. My brother's counting on me. I'm not going to let him down."

For a moment, reality blurred, and Yami swore that it was Mokuba standing across from him, not Leon. That realization sparked a sort of protectiveness in him – he didn't want to hurt Leon, but he still had to beat him to put a stop to Siegfried's scheming once and for all. Perhaps his experiences with Seto, Mokuba and Noa would be an asset here… "But is this what YOU want?"

"It doesn't matter. I WILL beat you. I have to!" Then, as if suddenly remembering he was in the midst of a duel, Leon drew. "Enough talk! I play Iron Hans, and his special ability allows me to summon an Iron Knight to the field as well. Next I play a magic card, Iron Cage. It allows me to send one monster to the graveyard for one turn."

"Aw, crap," Jou muttered. Yami only had one monster on the field. It was obvious what was happening next…

But Leon had other plans. "I'm sending Iron Hans to the graveyard," he called out as he discarded the card, "which increases Iron Knight's attack power by 1000! Iron Knight, attack his Obnoxious Celtic Guardian!"

Yami grunted as his monster was destroyed, then scowled as he lost an additional 1200 life points from Forest Hunter's attack, bringing him down to 2500 life points.

"Man, Yami's off to a bad start!" Honda yelled.

"Maybe he's just not used to playing with Yugi's deck anymore…" said Bakura, but Yugi shook his head.

"No, he knows what he's doing," the little violet-eyed duelist explained as Leon ended his turn. "But this is no ordinary duel, and there's more than just the mere outcome at stake. We just have to have faith in him."

Sugoroku nodded, then added, "It really is too bad Leon's playing for all the wrong reasons. He's very talented. He definitely could've been world champion someday, but now he's thrown away what possibly was his one and only chance."

"What are you talking about? Who cares about being world champion? My brother is about to become the new King of Games!" Siegfried bragged.

No one bothered responding as that would just be fuel on the fire, though Seto was sorely tempted to give the pink-haired man a piece of his mind. Yami was far from being beaten. Siegfried was stupid for underestimating him like that. Besides, Leon was hardly playing to the best of his ability at the moment. He looked distracted. And, as Yami would say, his heart wasn't with his cards.

Conversely, despite having the handicap of playing blind with Yugi's deck, Yami seemed fairly comfortable with the pace of the duel and the cards at his disposal, and was bringing his A game. The ex-spirit had used his turn to play Queen's Knight, destroying Forest Hunter and taking another 300 point bite out of Leon's life points before setting a card face down and ending his turn.

Leon shrugged off the damage he took as he drew another card. "First off, thanks to my Iron Cage, Iron Hans comes back from the graveyard. And that means I get another Iron Knight. Next, I'll play Spinning Wheel Spindle."

"Oh no, that card is bad news!" Rebecca said. She remembered taking a look at it when Leon had handed it to her during their duel.

"Are you familiar with the fairy tale of Sleeping Beauty? Well, say good night to your Queen's Knight. Spinning Wheel Spindle is going to send her to the graveyard for three turns," the redheaded teen explained as Queen's Knight collapsed and disappeared from the playing field. "Now Iron Hans, attack his life points directly!"

"Activate Mirror Force!" Yami countered, springing his trap. All of Leon's monsters were instantly destroyed, much to the relief of Yugi and the others, who cheered the move.

Seto couldn't resist giving Siegfried a verbal jab. "New King of Games, hmm? Thanks to that Mirror Force, he doesn't even have any monsters left."

"He hasn't even begun making his move," Siegfried snarled back, though mentally, he was chiding Leon for being so careless.

Leon was thinking along similar lines as his brother. He'd seen what Yami and Yugi could do… he should've known a devastating trap was waiting for him. But he had more tricks up his sleeve; he wasn't done yet. "I play Water of Life. This lets me summon one monster from my graveyard, and I choose Iron Hans, which of course brings back an Iron Knight as well!"

"His deck is very well constructed. He's already making up for what he lost," Ishizu commented as Leon's turn ended and Yami's began.

Yami drew, then called out, "I play Pot of Greed, so I'll be drawing two more cards." A few quick movements of his hands, then he smiled. "Thanks to Pot of Greed, I just drew Watapon, which can now move directly to the field thanks to its special ability. Next, I sacrifice Watapon to bring Dark Magician Girl to the field!"

Even though they were dueling for high stakes, Leon's eyes lit up at seeing Dark Magician Girl. "Wow, this is so awesome! She's one of Yugi's most famous cards… but, I'll have to destroy her to win..."

"Not this round," Yami assured him as Dark Magician Girl's attack burned a hole straight through Iron Knight. "I end my turn."

Leon nodded, drawing, his eyes widening a little in surprise. "Well, I guess I'm playing Pot of Greed too." He drew twice more in succession, then an even more startled look flitted across his face. _The Golden Castle of Stromberg…_ He remembered Siegfried saying, "It's a very special card" and "Think of it as a lucky charm." Was that one card really going to turn the tide of the duel in his favor? Should he play it?

Suddenly hesitant, he stole a glance upward and caught Siegfried's barely perceptible nod. His brother knew what he was holding. And he was counting on him using it to win. Leon's fingers tightened on the card's smooth surface. He imagined Siegfried standing beside him, encouraging him… guiding his hand. _Well, here it goes… _"I'm sorry, Yami, but this card will seal your fate. Go, Golden Castle of Stromberg!"

"Woah, what the hell is that thing?" Mokuba asked as a huge golden castle thunderously rose up behind Leon, dwarfing him. The crowd gasped at the awesome sight. Even Leon turned around, seemingly shocked by the castle's appearance.

At the same time, Noa's laptop beeped once in warning. Alarmed, the green-haired teen excused himself and quickly stepped aside to a quiet corner, flipping it open, dreading what he might find, but the system was still running with nothing obviously amiss. _The battery's not running low, so was it just a hiccup in the signal strength? But I wonder…_

Noa looked up, as did everyone else on the balcony, as Siegfried let out a haughty laugh. "Well, what do you think of that, Herr Kaiba?" he managed to say, grinning like a maniac as Leon continued on with the duel, activating the card's special ability to summon Cinderella to the field, in attack mode.

"How did you get that?!" Seto demanded. He vaguely remembered that there was a tournament which had offered that card as a prize… but beyond that, his mind was too fatigued to dig out the details.

"It was from one of my European tournaments," Pegasus offered, inserting himself into the conversation. "The winner was a masked duelist who called himself Violett Rose." He looked over at Siegfried. "So the mask has come off now, has it?"

Siegfried grinned and bowed with a flourish. "It was truly an honor to win such a special card from you, Herr Crawford," he said sincerely.

Pegasus wasn't impressed with the German's flattery. "I never intended for that card to be played. We decided it was too unbalanced during the test phase, so I never finished developing it." He turned to Seto. "Your Duel Disk system should've rejected it…"

"… but it didn't," Seto growled, watching in alarm as Yami lost 300 more life points to Cinderella's direct attack thanks to the effect of the Pumpkin Carriage she summoned using her special ability. He glared at Siegfried as his mind struggled to understand what was happening, a rush of adrenaline suddenly making things clear. "Was this your plan all along? All your little hacking games… You've been planning this the entire time, distracting me with obvious problems so I wouldn't notice the card limiter being deactivated."

Siegfried smirked broadly, and it looked like he wasn't going to bother responding to the accusation, but then his ego got the best of him and he said, "Even if that were the case, what are you going to do about it? Disqualify my brother? Invalidate the duel? Tsk tsk… you'd be breaking your own tournament rules! And how disappointed the fans would be if that were to..." His voice trailed off as he realized his words were being broadcast over the park's speakers. Apparently someone had turned on a microphone on the balcony. At first he thought it was Seto, but the brunette was looking around for the responsible party too.

"No, I'm not stopping the duel," Seto said slowly, his gaze settling on Noa and his laptop. He gave the green-haired teen the briefest of nods. _Nice job, Noa. _"Illegal card or no, Yami will win."

Noa returned Seto's gesture, tilting his head ever so slightly for a moment. "That's right. The whole world already knows you're a cheater, Siegfried. Now they know your brother is one too," he taunted, his fingers still on the keyboard.

"Ah, smart boy," the pink-haired man cooed, applauding Noa's efforts at stymieing him. But it was already too late… the Kaibas just didn't realize it yet.

"Wait, what?" Leon suddenly asked, catching wind of the conversation on the balcony. "I'm not a cheater…"

"You sure are. That's an illegal card," Noa said nastily.

"No way! My brother wouldn't do that to me!" Leon yelled back, but still, he twisted his head around again to look at the shimmering castle behind him. _An illegal card… there's no way!_" "He's lying, right? Siegfried?"

"Don't worry about it," Siegfried responded casually. "Just keep dueling."

But from beside him, Pegasus shook his head. "That card was never meant to be used," he said gravely, as Leon's eyes widened in horror. "I'm sorry, but Noa's right."

Leon's hands shook. _I'm a cheater? _He looked back up at the balcony, at his brother. Siegfried just shrugged in return, as if it were no big deal at all. Leon was flabbergasted. He'd have done anything for his family – Siegfried had to have understood that – but to cheat… there was absolutely no honor in that. _What have I done? _"How… how could you, Siegfried?!!"

"What? You said you wanted to help me, didn't you? I just had to guarantee that you'd win. Your victory is the only thing that matters."

"But… I thought you believed in me! I thought…" Leon faltered momentarily. "I gave up my dream of dueling Yugi for you. Don't you care about that at all?"

"We all have to make sacrifices sometimes," Siegfried responded coldly.

"But he's your brother!" Mokuba protested, outraged. It was bad enough that Siegfried was ruining everything that Seto had worked so hard for, but to see Leon being dragged into the mess when all he wanted was to help his big brother… "How can you do that to him?"

"And why do you care?"

"Because Leon deserves better from you! You're his big brother. He obviously looks up to you, and yet, you tricked him into doing this!" Mokuba yelled.

Yugi nodded. "And because…" and he looked around the balcony, at all the familiar faces looking grimly back at him, "because Kaiba's our friend, and he's worked hard to make this tournament happen, and we're not going to stand by and let you ruin it like this."

Yami looked up at Yugi's and Mokuba's words, turning away from the duel momentarily to address the group on the balcony. "Well said." Then he focused his attention on Siegfried. "Your actions here have tainted this duel and dishonored your family. Even if Leon wins, it won't mean anything."

"You're just upset because I've outsmarted you and your boyfriend…" Siegfried began saying, but Leon suddenly cut him off.

"No, he's right, big brother. I… I can't do this. I won't disgrace our family's name any further!" He quickly plucked a card out of his hand, slapping it down and activating it. "I play Mystical Space Typhoon – and I'm targeting the Golden Castle of Stromberg! If I'm going to duel, I'm going to do it honestly. I don't need to resort to using an illegal card!"

"You tell him Leon!" Rebecca cheered in admiration as the castle was surrounded by an enormous vortex, but when the wind finally settled… "Why wasn't it destroyed?"

"Huh?" Leon spun around, shocked. "It's… still there!?"

Siegfried sighed dramatically. "Ah… my dear little brother. I was afraid you might change your mind. So I made sure my plan would come to fruition with or without your cooperation." He sidled a glance at a furious Seto. "Haha, you thought you had me all figured out, didn't you, Herr Kaiba? But you weren't quite correct in your estimation of me. Did you think I'd hack into your databases simply to strengthen one card? As if that would be be worth the effort."

"What have you done?" Seto hissed as Noa's screen suddenly lit up with all sorts of flashing warning messages.

Siegfried laughed. "Don't bother, boy," he told Noa as the teen struggled with his computer, "it's far too late to do anything. You see, as soon as the Golden Castle of Stromberg was activated, the most deadly virus ever constructed was released into your computer systems. It's already destroyed most of your dueling system files by now…"

"As if I don't have backups…" Seto said. "Noa, initiate the anti-virus programs."

"We're already on it, Nii-sama, but nothing seems to be working thus far!" Mokuba reported, having fetched up his laptop as well to assist Noa in combating the virus. Both teens were working furiously, but despite their best efforts, they were unable to stay on top of the problem. Seto considered taking the two of them to the control room a few floors down so that they could work on a terminal instead, increasing their efficiency, but he was loathe to leave Siegfried running loose, causing more havoc…

"Tsk tsk tsk…" Siegfried shook his head at the younger Kaiba brothers. "Of course I compensated for both your backups and your security measures. It was easy enough for me to bypass your firewalls. And now, the virus has begun propagating itself into every active Duel Disk currently connected to the system. As long as the card stays active, it will continue to infect Duel Disks each time a user logs on. Of course, the clincher is, the Golden Castle of Stromberg is unbeatable. I've made sure of it. It cannot be destroyed by monster, spell or trap cards…"

Upon hearing that, Leon made a small distressed sound. As much as he hated the thought of surrendering… "I'm… I'm sorry. I never would've played this card if I had known…" He looked at the Duel Disk strapped to his forearm, at the Golden Castle lying on the duel field, glimmering maliciously. "I just wanted my brother to be proud of me. I wanted to help out my family. That's all…" His hand drifted over his deck. "But now I have no choice…"

Siegfried rolled his eyes. "Don't be so dramatic, Leonhard. Even surrendering won't destroy that card. It'll stay active even after the duel ends, no matter who wins. The only way to stop it is for the opposing player to destroy it during the duel, but since that is impossible, thanks to me…" He turned back towards a seething Seto. "Well, as you can see, even if you try to recover the information, each time an infected Duel Disk is activated, you'll lose everything all over again, except for the Golden Castle itself of course. And so on and so forth. Ingenious, isn't it?" he asked, gloating. "It will take you weeks, months even, to recall all the infected Duel Disks, and to replace them with new ones. In the meantime, your entire dueling system will have to stay offline. Pegasus will have to turn to me to keep Duel Monsters going during that time of… crisis."

"As if anyone would buy YOUR version of MY Duel Disks? I bet most people would rather play the old fashioned way than buy your crap!" Seto yelled. But if Siegfried was right… Kaiba Corp. would take a hard hit indeed.

Then, a calm voice inserted itself into the argument. "It wouldn't even be an issue, Kaiba," Pegasus said smoothly, crossing his arms. When Seto turned questioningly towards him, he added, "I have no intention of changing our business arrangement. So even if it took months, or a year… you have my word that your contract with Industrial Illusions will remain intact. I would not be willing to negotiate any sort of contract with Schroider Corp., considering the circumstances."

"You wouldn't have a choice!" Siegfried insisted.

Pegasus' good eye darkened, and he stepped closer to the German, dropping his voice so that the microphone wouldn't pick up what he was saying. "Don't think you can threaten me. And don't think you can threaten my friends. If what it takes to stop you is Yami finding a way to destroy that card, I assure you, he will."

Siegfried simply laughed it off, though inwardly, he was stunned by Pegasus' pronouncement. He'd been caught off-guard. He hadn't expected Pegasus, a businessman whom he held in high regard, to let his emotions interfere with business decisions. But, he'd deal with that later. Once Seto was out of the way, surely Pegasus would come around to his way of thinking. "He may be the King of Games, but this is no longer a game…"

Seto merely grunted. No, it was no longer a game, and yet… _Yami, can you do it? Is there a way to beat that card?_

_Every card has a weakness. I'll figure it out somehow. Don't give up, Seto!_

_Never. _The brunette CEO knew his lover's word was good; he'd take down the Golden Castle one way or another. Then he glanced over at his younger brothers. Since Yami was working on dismantling Siegfried's virus from the source, that meant that it was up to the three of them to stop the virus from doing further damage on the other end. He really had no choice; they'd have to patch into the mainframe from the terminal to have a chance of isolating it. And he definitely needed Mokuba and Noa's help… there was no way any one of them could do it alone. But first, he had to call security, so that…

"You go do what you gotta do. We'll keep an eye on the asshole for ya," Jou asserted. He tossed his head at Siegfried, then thumbed his nose.

Seto's brows beetled. "What?" Had he heard right?

"What what? Just go! That virus isn't gonna take itself out," Jou responded.

"Yeah, we've got you covered, mate," Valon chimed in, his eyes flashing. Beside him, Rafael nodded in agreement.

"Good luck, Kaiba," Amelda added, and several other voices joined in with similar encouraging remarks.

Stunned by everyone's support, Seto slowly inclined his head in thanks, then turned to his brothers. Siegfried may have been stupid enough to underestimate the importance of his brother in his plans, but Seto wasn't so foolish. "All right you two, come with me. Let's show Siegfried what the Kaibas are really capable of."

A slow smile spread across Mokuba's face, which was echoed on Noa's as well. "You got it, Nii-sama!"

Buoyed by his brothers' enthusiasm, Seto waited until both teens had gathered up their laptops, then, flanked by the pair, he turned and headed for the exit, his coat billowing in his wake.

* * *

TBC 

Author's Notes:   
- Major / notable changes from canon:  
1) This chapter covers episodes 196 to the very beginning of 198.  
2) One of the reasons why I had Pegasus attending the grand opening was because I knew that when the Golden Castle of Stromberg was finally played, he'd be the one to tell Leon that it was an illegal card. As the creator of the game, he'd logically be the authority on the matter, and would be neutral enough for Leon to believe at face value.  
- Originally, this chapter and the next were supposed to be one chapter. And then it started getting longer, and longer… So I decided to split it at what seemed to be a very logical (if slightly cliffhanger-ish) stopping point. Conversely, Chapter 7: "Men Who Ride Mountains" was supposed to be two chapters, but since I couldn't find a stopping point in there, I changed my mind and didn't split it. So I guess it all works out sorta (except now I'm scrambling to rearrange the chapter titles lol) The next chapter is already being worked on, so should be done and posted a little faster than normal.  
- Re: German. "Violett Rose" translates to "Violet Rose" (dur, in reference to Schroider Corp.'s logo). I know, my inability to come up with something better in German hurts me too.  
- Please please _please_ don't ask me how the frickin' hell Siegfried's virus works. If you never thought about it, then the anime's non-explanation was probably good enough. But I thought it was flimsy and made no sense. So I tried to beef it up a little, and put a little more thought into it, and hopefully what I came up with works on a theoretical level at least.  
- Thanks to those who have reviewed - see, it really does inspire me to write faster: )


	11. Ch 10: Over Under Sideways Down

Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! is the creation of Kazuki Takahashi. Over Under Sideways Down is a film by Ken Anderson. "Lean on Me" is performed and recorded by Bill Withers. This is a not-for-profit fanwork and I do not own any of these characters.

* * *

**Summer of '69**

**Ch. 10: Over Under Sideways Down**

* * *

The Kaibas raced down to the control room situated in the bowels of the Blue Eyes Fortress. Seto felt a little relief at the fact that the room was there; he had never thought he'd really have need of it, but since the attraction was in the geographical center of the park, it seemed to be a logical place to put a control room, in case of emergency.

_And this definitely counts as an emergency! _his mind screamed at him as he quickly keyed in his security code, submitted to a retinal scan, and finished unlocking the door with the electronic chip embedded in his locket. It was always a good idea to have too many safeguards rather than not enough, though at the moment, he was in quite a hurry to get in and was growing impatient with all the security measures.

Apparently Mokuba and Noa were of the same mind as Seto, for as soon as the door was open, the two sprinted in. Taking a brief moment to situate themselves, each teen chose a terminal and began logging themselves in as Seto turned on the main monitor in the room so that they could all keep an eye on Yami's duel and gauge how badly the virus was affecting the dueling systems.

"Nii-sama, we're in. What do you need us to do?" Noa asked eagerly as Seto sat himself at the central console and logged himself in.

Seto took a few moments to consider their current situation, mentally organizing tasks in order of importance. They had to install a new server while maintaining the old one, and then there were the anti-virus issues as well…

At least he had already taken the precaution of locking down the mainframe, booting all end users other than Yami and Leon – that had been the first thing he had done – but because Yami's duel was still in progress, they were going to be forced to nurse the crippled system along. "You two… concentrate on keeping the current dueling system running. We need to minimize any sort of interference to Yami's duel, such as degradation in the card graphics and animation. Be ready to replace corrupted files on the fly. I'm going to get the fucking anti-virus working one way or another, then I'll start building the new server. Mokuba, I might need your help later on to populate it, so once Yami's won his duel, I'll switch you over."

"Okay," Mokuba responded, already getting down to business.

Noa paused to give Seto an odd look, then quickly mentioned, "The anti-virus IS working, but because it's reactive rather than proactive, as long as that card continues to remain in play, the system will continue to get infected. But since the virus wasn't in the profiles, I had to add it in, so Siegfried got a head start on us. That's why we weren't able to stay on top of it."

"Uh…" Seto was baffled. Kaiba Corp. didn't have any programs like that. What company would bother with an anti-virus that would only activate _after_ files were infected?

"The virus obliterated the other anti-viruses, but missed this one 'cause it was dormant," Noa continued on to say. "I suppose we can try reconfiguring the other programs with the virus' profile and reinstalling them, but I don't see the point of that now since they could get deleted as soon as we upload them. And you already implied that you'd end up wiping this entire server rather than try to save it."

Seto grunted, not sure what else to say at the moment. He had his suspicions about what Noa was leaving unsaid, but had to deal with the Siegfried situation first and foremost. Confronting Noa about some unapproved program was a distant and lukewarm second in terms of urgency. Still… Seto couldn't resist taking a peek at the anti-virus as he began setting up the file system on the new server. And he was surprised, even somewhat impressed, by what he saw…

_How'd he find my program? And when did he find time to alter it?_ Seto wondered as he hurriedly glanced over the program's neatly written code. The mystery anti-virus turned out to be a rework of an untested, unfinished anti-virus Seto himself had developed for future implementation. Somehow, Noa – and it was unmistakable who the author was as only Noa was that precise with organizing his coding – had gotten his hands on it, tweaked it to make it reactive only, and completed it with up-to-date virus profiles and a new interface. It wasn't at all what Seto intended the program to be, and yet… it was a godsend. It was precisely the type of thing they needed to combat Siegfried's virus. And… looking at the timestamps, apparently Noa had managed to do entire thing last night, finishing just a few hours ago. That sort of skill and dedication was admirable.

The young CEO always knew the green-haired teen had an aptitude for computers, perhaps due in part to the years he spent in the virtual world, but he had never seriously considered how talented Noa really was. And although he definitely shouldn't have been messing around with important files without Seto's prior knowledge or authorization, the results spoke for themselves: Noa's anti-virus was the one thin lifeline that was keeping them afloat. Without it, the dueling system would likely resemble Swiss cheese by now, corrupted so badly that it would've shut itself down right in the middle of Yami's duel.

It seemed to be a terrible waste of resources to have both Noa and Mokuba on the same project, especially since there was one, no… two more tasks that Seto was trying to juggle himself. He already knew that he'd have install the new server himself since it would require a lot of customization to get it the way he wanted it. And he had assumed that he'd have to get on the anti-virus as well. But perhaps… Seto wondered if Noa could handle the latter. If he screwed up, the new dueling system would become infected as soon as it went up. _It'd be a bit of a gamble, but the system would be completely fucked to hell if Noa hadn't stuck his nose in my business in the first place. So… let's see what he can do._ "Noa…"

"Yes?"

"I'm going to put you in charge of the anti-virus. But continue helping Mokuba with the current system if he needs it. We absolutely need to keep it up and running the best we can, at least until Yami's duel ends."

The teen's blue eyes lit up. He had figured Seto would be too curious to just let the anti-virus slide without checking it out himself, and had counted on him being smart enough to realize what had happened and who had been responsible for it. "Okay."

"I'll need you to make sure a clean and fully updated copy of the anti-virus gets prepped for the new system before I roll it out. That shouldn't take too long; you can probably get it done while you're backing up Mokuba. Also, we're going to need a couple of patches, one for end users, the other for KC employees. They need to be ready to go as soon as the clean system is up, in case any corrupted Duel Disks or workstations attempt to log on. Upload them to our intranet as well as the internet, and see if you can… 'pass it along' to Industrial Illusions as well. It is ESSENTIAL you get this done properly and quickly, or else we're going to have to go through this all over again with the new server. Can you handle all that?"

Most people – even longtime industry professionals – would've been overwhelmed by all of that. Not that they were necessarily difficult tasks, but they were so short on time, and the work involved a lot of detail oriented multitasking. But Noa looked almost excited at the challenge Seto had set before him. "I think so. But I'll let you know if I need help."

It was about a good of an answer as Seto expected. At least it was an honest response, considering the situation. And he didn't have much choice anyway; the old system was becoming more and more unstable with every second that passed. Minimizing the anti-virus, Seto took a deep breath and focused on his assigned task. If he was going to expect Mokuba and Noa to get their portion of the work done and done right, he had to make sure his contribution was up to par as well.

* * *

After Seto, Mokuba and Noa left, Yami turned his attention back to the duel at hand. While it was up to the Kaiba brothers to minimize or counteract the damage being done by Siegfried's virus, it was his job to put it out at the source. It was good strategy, though highly dependent on the success of both parties, but Yami had no doubt they were capable of pulling it off.

At the same time, he was also very, very proud of his friends. They weren't just spectators or cheerleaders; they had stood up for Seto in his time of need, forming a united front against whatever else Siegfried might've been planning. And although Siegfried seemed to be behaving himself at the moment, Yami had no doubt that if it weren't for the many pairs of eyes on him, he'd be trying something else, just to mess with Seto some more.

Trying to hold on to his optimism, Yami looked across the arena at his opponent, trying to decide on his next move. Leon blinked at him from the other side of the arena, a mix of trepidation and sadness in his eyes. From his expression, Yami just _knew_ that the teen had told the truth – he hadn't known about the virus. He hadn't done it deliberately. Siegfried had used him, knowing that his brother wanted to help and was desperate to gain his approval. That sort of betrayal made Yami furious. He had felt that way years ago when Seto was a very different person, when Seto had lost his grip on reality so badly that he'd tried to kill Mokuba at Death-T.

It would've been be easy enough for him to Mind Crush Siegfried and remove him as a threat once and for all, but just as Seto had changed, so had Yami. So he knew that no matter how bad things had gotten, he couldn't justify killing Siegfried since technically, no one's lives were in danger. He couldn't even really justify putting him in a coma, though that was a far more tempting option. But if he did do that, it'd mean that Siegfried had won, by making him resort to such tactics. He'd like to think that he had learned restraint as well as mercy. Besides, it was far more challenging to try and get someone see the error of their ways and convince them to make a change themselves…

And maybe he'd feel a little bad if he were to deprive another kid of his big brother, no matter how badly that big brother had behaved.

Oh well. No point in dwelling on things that couldn't be changed. It'd all work out somehow; it always did. "Let's keep going," Yami announced.

Leon looked surprised. "But… the Golden Castle…"

"No card is truly indestructible. One way or another, that castle is coming down."

"I wish I had your confidence," Leon admitted softly, "but… I'll try to do what I can to help."

The former Pharaoh gave Leon a small smile. "Just keep dueling and don't hold back. Put your heart into it. If the only way this card can be beaten is in a duel, we'll have to give it our all."

It seemed an odd request, to duel with all his heart and soul, but Leon had to believe that Yami knew what he was doing. He was the King of Games, after all. So he nodded his assent. "I end my turn then. Yami, it's your turn."

Yami grinned and drew a card, but no sooner had he done that did the castle begin glowing, and Siegfried began cackling madly.

"Oops, did I forget to mention the other surprises I programmed into the card? Each turn the Golden Castle of Stromberg is in play, all the monsters on the field are forced to attack. In addition, any time the opposing player's monster attacks, half the monster's attack points are deducted from that player's life points… And did I mention that the attacking monster is then destroyed?" the German explained loudly, a big grin plastered on his face.

"What?" Vivian screeched as Yami's already weakened Dark Magician Girl was forced into combat with Leon's Cinderella before being destroyed, causing Yami to lose 500 life points. She'd never heard of anything that unbalanced. How the hell was Yami supposed to duel against a card like that?

Yami scowled. _This is going to be really tough. I hope Leon stays with me. _The redheaded teen looked startled at what had just transpired, but upon seeing the determination in Yami's eyes, he gave him a go ahead nod. Grimly, Yami set a card face down, and ended his turn.

_I got everyone into this mess; I'm going to do everything I can to get them out of it. And I have to show Siegfried he's wrong before he can do even more damage to our family's reputation,_ Leon told himself, trying to bolster his own confidence as he drew a card to start off his turn. But as if to remind him that the situation was far more complicated than that, the castle lit up once again with an unwelcome golden glow. "What now?"

Siegfried just leaned over and casually rested his chin atop his interlaced fingers. "There is one final special effect. Since the Golden Castle of Stromberg is so powerful, it exacts a high cost to remain on the field. Except the cost is paid by the opposing duelist, of course. So half of the opponent's deck must be discarded at the beginning of each turn."

"Goddamn it – this is ridiculous!" Honda exclaimed.

"I think we should just take the cost outta that bastard's face!" Jou suggested, stepping towards Siegfried threateningly, but his sister and his wife stepped in to stop him, reminding him that it was too late for any of them to do anything about the Golden Castle, save Yami.

Despite everyone's protests, the ex-spirit went ahead and discarded half his deck. Siegfried crowed in triumph, then addressed Leon. "Why the sour face? I'm only doing this to help you. Now hurry up, play a monster. Who knows how much time you have left before the virus catches up and decides the duel for you?"

"Damn it, he has a point. If his virus is doing what he claims, soon there won't be any data left for the Duel Disks to run off of!" Otogi exclaimed. "Even Kaiba can't hold it off forever!"

"How can you do this to me? To us?" Leon cried out. "How can you say you're helping me when all you're doing is ruining everything?"

"Don't worry about him, Leon. Just concentrate on the duel and play your best. I promise, we'll find a way out of this somehow," Yami told Leon. He needed the teenager to settle down and get the duel moving again, because if Otogi was right, time was of the essence as well.

"Uh… all right, I guess." But Leon still looked badly rattled. Unable to concentrate and panicking over the amount of time he was wasting, he tried to figure out what card to play, finally settling on one of his favorites. "I play Forest Wolf in attack mode…"

"Leon, no! The castle, remember?" Rebecca yelled.

"Huh?" Then his eyes widened as Cinderella suddenly spun around, kicking her Glass Slippers to attack Yami, who had no monsters on the field. _Oh my God, I forgot about the Golden Castle's special effect! _And Forest Wolf had 1800 attack points, more than enough to wipe out the remainder of Yami's points. "Oh no, I forgot!"

"Activate trap card, Dark Magic Retribution! This allows me to bring back one spellcaster from the graveyard for the duration of the battle when my opponent attacks, and for that, I choose Dark Magician Girl."

Leon let loose a sigh of relief as Dark Magician Girl's counterattack destroyed Forest Wolf. As strange as it was to root for his opponent, especially after losing 200 life points, in this case, it was all he could do. "I'm so sorry… I forgot, I can't even control my monsters!"

"It's all right. Things will work out one way or another. In fact…" and Yami drew a card, initiating his turn," now that three turns have passed, Spinning Wheel Spindle will return my Queen's Knight to the field. Next, I'll place two cards face down, then I'll play Card of Sanctity. Now both of us draw until we have six cards in our hands." Both Leon and Yami did as the card instructed. "Then I'll play King's Knight in attack mode. By having both King's Knight and Queen's Knight on the field, I can special summon Jack's Knight. Lastly, I'll play this – Royal Straight. It sacrifices my three knights to summon the powerful Royal Straight Slasher, because Royal Straight Slasher's special effect is that it will destroy all cards on my opponent's side of the field once I discard one monster from each of the first five levels."

"Monster effects! That's right… Siegfried didn't mention those!" Mai enthused as Yami made his five sacrifices, starting with Kuriboh. It was a great idea, and it showed the versatility and depth that made Yami such an amazing duelist, but when the dust had settled…

"… The Golden Castle of Stromberg is still there," Sugoroku said, disappointed.

Leon made a choking sound as he too noticed the castle behind him. "Siegfried must've compensated for monster effects as well." He sighed, resigned. "He was right. There's no way to destroy it."

"Don't say that. There's still one thing I haven't tried…" Yami told him. "But first I'll play this, Time Travel, which will remove Royal Straight Slasher from play until your next standby phase." The monster vanished in a faint twinkling of lights. "And with that, I end my turn. Your turn, Leon."

"You really think you have a chance, don't you?" Siegfried asked Yami. "Your monster would've been forced to attack Leonhard's life points directly due to the Golden Castle's effect, which meant you would've won, but then you'd have no way of getting rid of the Golden Castle of Stromberg. Not that you'll have any luck getting rid of it anyway. Surely even you can see that. I told you, nothing can destroy that card!"

Yami didn't respond to the taunts. He didn't even look up at Siegfried. He kept his gaze straight ahead, focusing on Leon with great intensity as if he could will his confidence into the younger duelist.

_He really thinks he can do it,_ Leon mused to himself. _I don't know why, but somehow… I believe in him. I just have to keep going… _"All right, here I go…"

"Remember King of Games, you have to discard half your deck to keep the Golden Castle of Stromberg in play," Siegfried interrupted, still trying to get a rise out of Yami. He smirked as the crimson-eyed man finally looked up… but Yami was grinning broadly.

"Sorry to disappoint, but I'm afraid I can't do that," Yami told him in his deep voice.

"It's not up for debate," Siegfried insisted, rolling his eyes.

"Yes, I understand that. But I only have one card left in my deck. How can I discard half of it?"

Siegfried blinked stupidly for a moment, then looked at the other side of the arena. Already, the holographic castle was shattering, raining shards of light down on an equally startled Leon. "No… NOOO!"

"Yes! Yami, you did it!" Jou screamed as Mai hugged him in excitement. Behind them, the rest of Yugi-tachi partied like it was 1999. Valon broke into a weird little victory dance, while Honda found it a convenient excuse to plant a kiss on Shizuka's cheek.

_Good job – I knew you could do it!_ Yugi told Yami once the group began settling down a bit.

The ex-spirit didn't answer for several seconds, most likely because he was relaying what had happened to Seto, so Yugi waited patiently until he was finished. He was rewarded with a bright smile when Yami finally looked up at him. _Don't you mean "we?" You picked the cards, Aibou, and assembled a great deck. I couldn't have pulled this off without your help._

Slightly embarrassed, the shorter duelist just smiled and let the matter drop. _This really was a tough duel, though. I don't think anyone else could've pulled off what you did. Siegfried almost designed the ultimate card…_

_His ego got in the way. He was so certain that he'd come up with the perfect card that he didn't realize that along with the strengths, he coded weakness into it as well._

_Plus he underestimated Leon, _Yugi pointed out, nodding his head at the redheaded teen who looked small and lost on his platform. _If he hadn't gone on with the duel, you would've never been able to eliminate the Golden Castle of Stromberg._

_Yes, and I am grateful that he believed in me, as you all did. But… the duel's not over yet. _Yami lightly touched the one remaining card in the deck. _Maybe Leon can still show his brother what it means to bring honor to one's family._

It didn't matter that Yami only had one card left to draw, that he'd have to win by the end of his next turn or forfeit his title to Leon. Of course he was going to continue. _Mmhmm. If anyone can do it, you can. Good luck._

Yami nodded courteously at his other half, then turned his attention back towards Leon. "I believe it's still your turn."

"Yes, keep going, Leonhard!" Siegfried yelled, sounding crazed with anger. "The Golden Castle is no more, but victory can still be ours. The virus has already done its job – Kaiba Corp. is ruined! And Herr Mutou is down to his final card; you can still be the King of Games if you defeat him!"

Leon shook his head, and began moving his hand towards his deck. "No, I refuse. I kept going because that's what it took to stop the virus, but I'm not continuing on. Now that the Golden Castle of Stromberg has been destroyed, I can…"

"You can't quit, not after you've made it this far," Yami warned, seeing what it was the younger duelist was intending. "You're not a quitter, Leon. And neither am I. Now that the Golden Castle has been removed, we can finally duel like true duelists."

"But because of the Golden Castle, you only have one card left in your deck…"

"It'll be enough. Let's finish this. Do it for your family's honor; do it to show your brother the error of his ways." Then, as if noticing the cheers of the crowd for the first time, he added, "And do it for the millions of fans watching. They came here to see a great duel. Let's give them a show they'll never forget."

* * *

Down in the control room, Mokuba let out a little cheer as soon as he saw the Golden Castle of Stromberg shatter into a million shards of light. A glance at his terminal confirmed it; the elimination of the castle had stopped the virus from reinfecting their database via Leon's Duel Disk. At least Siegfried had been telling the truth about that.

"I knew Yami would be able to pull it off. Take that, Siegfried!" Noa yelled more from relief than anything else.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves. We're not done here yet," Seto reminded his siblings, his fingers still flying across his keyboard. But he was also relieved… Yami had been brilliant out there, and at least now they could concentrate on rolling out a clean system instead of wasting more time trying to prevent further infection in the already corrupted one. "Mokuba, continue to focus on maintaining the current system. It needs to stay up until Yami's duel is over."

"I know. I've been uploading replacement files to the existing monster hologram subsystem. It's only a temporary solution, but it should be good enough to hold up until Yami's done," Mokuba reported.

Seto nodded in gratitude, then turned to the other teen in the room. "Noa, your status?"

"The first patch is ready and the second is mostly done, and I've already placed a copy of the anti-virus on the local shared drive, so that's ready to go when you are."

Seto rewarded Noa with a nod as well, along with a curt, "Good."

With that, the trio once again grew silent as they threw themselves back into their work. Like Seto said, they weren't done yet. But considering Yami only had one card left in his Duel Disk, Mokuba knew that he'd only have to keep the old dueling system puttering along one more turn. Then it would be all over regardless.

_I hope Yami can pull off a win, _Mokuba found himself thinking as he began overwriting some corrupted trap card files with data from a backup drive, in case Yami or Leon played one of those. It'd really suck if Yami lost because of Siegfried's cheating. He would've won the duel that last turn if he hadn't played Time Travel, but then the Golden Castle would have remained active. Or he could've accepted Leon's surrender, but that clearly was not something Yami would consider. So he had chosen to risk his title on the one remaining card in his deck. But if he lost… Mokuba wasn't sure if Seto could forgive himself if that happened.

Speaking of Siegfried and victims, even though Mokuba was angry with Leon for all that had happened, he couldn't help feeling a little sorry for him as well. Like everyone else, he had wondered if Leon had entered the tournament simply to help his brother take down Kaiba Corp. And he had felt like a fool for having trusted him, for having gone as far as asking him to help them keep an eye on the other duelists for anything suspicious. But his hurt had turned to outrage when he heard from Siegfried's own mouth that he had not only expected Leon to sacrifice his dream of dueling for the world championship, but had also tricked him into playing an illegal card because he didn't have faith in Leon's dueling prowess.

Mokuba spared a second to glance over at his own big brother, bent over his keyboard, brown hair falling into his eyes as he focused on endless blocks of data. He'd be lying if he said Seto had been a perfect big brother, but that didn't matter. What counted was that Seto had always done the best that he could for him, even when he had lost himself to Gozaburo's influence and his own crazy misconceptions.

But… it was okay to be just a little angry about it too, he supposed. Not that he was mad at Seto, of course. He had always loved him. But it was easy to be mad at the things that had, one way or another, contributed to Death-T, like car accidents and traitorous relatives and Gozaburo and such. So in the same vein, he wondered about the things that drove Siegfried and Leon, such as revenge and honor, respectively.

He supposed that once all was said and done, he'd end up forgiving Leon. He couldn't really blame him for wanting to help his brother after all. In his book, that was something to be admired. And… Mokuba knew he just wasn't good at holding grudges either. Like with Noa… he forgave him years ago, even though Noa had done some pretty horrible things to both him and Seto. And he had forgiven Yami too, even though he had knocked Seto into a year-long coma. He was glad he'd forgiven them too, because now both Yami and Noa were part of their family, and that made him happy.

Thinking of his boyfriend, Mokuba turned his attention to Noa next. He couldn't help but smile a little as the green-haired teen unconsciously blew a few unruly strands of hair out of his eyes; his bangs were as long as Seto's. And Noa looked just as intent as their older brother as he swiftly entered commands at his terminal, his lips pursing slightly as he concentrated on his task. Mokuba liked watching him when he threw himself into his work like that. And it was good seeing him in his element, using his computer skills to help Seto thwart Siegfried's plan. If there were any positives to be had from all the chaos that Siegfried had caused it was that Noa was finally getting the opportunity to show Seto what he was capable of, and that Seto was allowing him to assist them in getting the dueling system back up and running. They had never talked about it, but Mokuba always had the feeling that Noa held some resentment, conscious or not, at being left out of Kaiba Corp. business. Seto was the president, Mokuba the VP, but Noa had barely received anything more than a KC email address. Even Yami had more say in what went on in the company than Noa did! But maybe things would be different now that Seto saw that Noa was an asset, not a threat. It'd go a long way in improving their relationship if they could just get over that hurdle.

But worrying about that would have to come later. Just because the virus had stopped spreading didn't mean he could afford to be distracted. There was still a duel going on. And he wasn't going to let Seto down, not now, not ever.

* * *

Leon spent a good minute mulling over Yami's words. The ex-spirit had wanted to continue on with the duel even though he didn't have to, even though he was now at a terrible disadvantage. The source of the virus had been eliminated. Leon had offered to surrender. And yet…

_Do it for your family's honor; do it to show your brother the error of his ways. Do it for the millions of fans watching._

Yami was right. All those were good reasons to keep going, even though Leon truly felt that he didn't deserve it. If he did win… if he did take the title of King of Games… Leon knew he'd turn right around and offer Yami the chance to win it back fair and square, even if they had to duel at a picnic table and tally life points on a pad of paper. No viruses, no illegal cards, no being stuck with someone else's deck, just two duelists and their cards.

"It's my turn," Leon announced, drawing.

Yami gave him an encouraging smile, seeing the spark of competition slowly returning to Leon's eyes. "Yes. But first, Royal Straight Slasher returns to the field."

The redhead nodded at Yami's monster, acknowledging it. "Good. Because I'm playing Monster Reborn to bring Cinderella back from the graveyard. And you know what that means; I can special summon Pumpkin Carriage as well. But this time, I'm going to sacrifice them both to summon Hex Trude." The monster, which resembled an attractive woman in a red gown, sauntered her way into the center of the arena. "Now, Hex Trude, take out his Slasher!"

With 2600 attack points, Trude's blast easily destroyed Yami's monster, bringing him to the brink of defeat with only 200 life points.

"Crap, look at Leon's monster!" Malik exclaimed. Hex Trude's attack points had jumped to 3000. "Another card with a nasty surprise?"

"Trude gains 400 attack every time she destroys a monster," Leon explained. "I'm sorry, but this is the end for you, Yami. Either Hex Trude will take you down, or you running out of cards will do it for me."

_I believe in Yugi's deck. I know it won't let me down,_ Yami thought as he closed his eyes and drew his final card. He smiled when he saw it was a Monster Reborn, the same card Leon had just played. "Don't count me out just yet. I can still fight my way back! First, I'll place one card face down, then I'll play Emergency Provisions, which increases my life points by 1000 for every magic or trap card I send to the graveyard." Yami gave up one card for a thousand-point boost. "Next, I'll also play Monster Reborn! Come, Dark Magician!"

Up on the balcony, Yugi couldn't help but smile a little at seeing his faithful spellcaster. Well, not his, at least… he wouldn't be his for much longer. He was hoping Yami would find a way to play it. That was the sign he'd been waiting for.

_Just as the Blue Eyes White Dragons belong with Kaiba, you've always truly been Yami's. I'll miss you of course, but I understand. And I'm fine with that,_ Yugi found himself telling the card fondly. Somehow, it must've understood him, for it seemed that the monster's blue eyes sought him out, focusing on him, but when he blinked, the moment was over.

Yugi's grin grew. He knew it sounded crazy, but he was grateful for the chance to say goodbye. W_ell, not quite goodbye. More like see you around._

But Siegfried's grating voice just had to ruin the moment. While Leon stood gazing at the Dark Magician in awe, admiring the monster that now stood before him, his big brother pointedly told Yami, "How do you expect to fight your way back with that? Your magician's only got 2500 attack points to my brother's Hex Trude, at 3000."

Yami couldn't resist smirking. "I guess you forgot about my two face down cards, the ones I set a while back. First, reveal Necromancy! This spell card will summon four random monsters from Leon's graveyard…"

Leon blinked, the novelty of the Dark Magician beginning to wear off. "Wha…?" Little Red Riding Hood, Iron Hans, Iron Knight, and Forest Hunter all appeared on Leon's side of the field, in defense mode. "Why'd you bring them back?"

"For each of those monsters I destroy in battle, I can decrease the attack power of one of your monsters by 600, provided they're in attack mode. Next, I activate Diffusion Wave Motion. For the cost of 1000 of my life points, Dark Magician can now attack every monster on your side of the field. Plus, it'll cancel out any special abilities your monsters would trigger upon being destroyed," Yami explained.

Leon's eyes went wide as the former Pharaoh's life points dropped back down to 200, enabling Dark Magician to unleash his attack, destroying the four monsters Necromancy had returned to Leon. Hex Trude's attack points were whittled down to 600, allowing Dark Magician to easily destroy her, clinching the win for Yami.

When Leon's life points finally ticked down to zero, for a split second, it was as if time had stopped. Not a peep could be heard from the thousands of spectators ringing the fortress. It was as if no one believed what they had just witnessed. And then…

"YEAHHHHHH! BOOOYAAAAA!" Jou and Valon both screamed from the balcony, their amplified voices carrying extremely well over the speakers, practically echoing over the park grounds, and suddenly the crowd sprang to life, cheering and whistling so enthusiastically and for so long that no one could even hear Isono trying to announce the official results.

But Isono didn't mind at all. He was just as giddy as the fans and felt like celebrating too, though he'd have to wait until later to let loose. He still had a job to do. "And your winner is…Yami Mutou, THE King of Games!"

* * *

Noa let out a whoop and sprung to his feet, his eyes fixed on the monitor. Yami still stood proudly on his dueling platform, the Dark Magician still floating on the field before him.

"Leon wasn't bad, but against Yami, he didn't stand a chance," Noa said arrogantly, as if he were personally responsible for Yami's win. Well, perhaps his anti-virus had played some role in that…

Slightly distracted by both Yami's voice in his head as well as the content of the open windows on his terminal screen, Seto gave the older teen a half smile, though the sparkle in his eyes betrayed his true feelings. He too was thrilled with Yami's victory, especially since Siegfried was absolutely incensed by it. But their entire dueling system had been locked down for a while now, and he didn't want to take a minute longer than necessary to get it back up. End users tended to be impatient and highly prone to rumormongering, and Seto was determined that no one get the impression that Siegfried had gotten the better of Kaiba Corp., because he definitely hadn't. But at least he was almost done with the install, then after that it would just be a matter of dumping data into the server, which Mokuba ought to be able to handle by himself. "I'll make sure I congratulate him once we're done with things down here."

Noa rolled his eyes, but he was smiling too. "Uh, yeah, you two do that…"

Seto smothered a drop-the-subject cough, which elicited a chuckle from both Noa and Mokuba, then changed the topic himself. "How are the patches coming?"

"I'm finished, and they're already up on both our website and our intranet. Hacking into Industrial Illusions now," Noa reported.

"You'd think Pegasus would beef up the security on his site," Mokuba mentioned offhandedly as he went ahead and began shutting down the current dueling system. He was feeling pretty good about the job he'd done so far; he hadn't noticed any glitches at all during Yami's duel.

Noa smirked. "Like that would keep me out? He's lucky that the worst I've done was that animated Blue Eyes graphic for last April Fool's. You know, the one that randomly zapped blocks of text on his website?"

Seto let loose a short laugh. He remembered Pegasus calling him about it, though all Seto had told the other CEO was that he knew nothing about it. At least Pegasus hadn't been mad, being a bit of a prankster himself. "That was yours?"

Noa just grinned wickedly. "Anyways, let me start transferring the file, and I'll just add a nice huge text link here…" and he made a couple of changes and clicked the mouse a few times, "and that should do it. Patch just needs to finished uploading."

Seto nodded, satisfied with the way things were working out. Noa had been a huge help. No, they weren't completely out of the woods yet, but by working together, they had managed to pull through this latest crisis. He just hoped Siegfried didn't have any other surprises in store for them. But, for once, he felt cautiously optimistic.

* * *

Yami smiled to himself as he finished checking in with his boyfriend. He knew Seto had kept an eye on the duel as it happened, so it wasn't like the news of his victory was unexpected, but he hadn't been sure how the Kaibas were faring with the virus, so he was glad to hear that they were right on top of it. Noa was taking care of ridding the system of all traces of the virus, while Mokuba was about to start dumping data into the new server. Things were going well enough that Seto even said that he'd step away from his work for a few minutes to make an appearance since after all, it WAS his tournament.

Yugi and the others were now rushing down from the balcony in high spirits, eager to congratulate Yami on his win. They mobbed around him excitedly, hugging him and patting him on the back. Valon got the idea to pick him up like some victorious conqueror, so with a little help from Jou, Honda, Otogi and Yugi, they hoisted the crimson-eyed duelist up on their shoulders and paraded him around the arena.

Grinning, Yami let them carry him around like a trophy, secretly enjoying the extra height boost they were giving him. He could finally see how high up the dueling arena really was, and how the crowd packed around the fortress looked like bits of confetti kicked up by a slight breeze. And he also couldn't help but notice that Leon still stood on his dueling platform, alone and forgotten. He had deactivated his Duel Disk and was clutching his deck tightly in his hand. Maybe he was in shock over losing, or maybe Siegfried's betrayal had just been too much for him. Yami felt sorry for him. He wasn't a bad person. And Yami knew that if Leon hadn't kept going with the duel, he would've never been able to take down the Golden Castle of Stromberg.

So once Yami had convinced his friends to put him down, he made his way across the arena. "You did very well. You should be proud of yourself," he told the redheaded teen.

Leon's head jerked up, his eyes wide. He couldn't believe that Yami would want to say anything to him at all, never mind complimenting him. "What?"

Yami held his hand out, offering him a handshake. "Thank you for not giving up, even when things got really bad."

Leon just stared wordlessly at the proffered hand. His eyes stung. He felt like total crap. Why was Yami talking like that? "But… I cheated! And the virus… And I lost!"

"But when you realized what was happening, you tried to put a stop to it. You conducted yourself like a true duelist. And that's what matters most."

Leon blinked hard. Yami was being so kind, after all that he'd done. _A true duelist? No… Yami's the true duelist. I'm just… I screwed up so badly. _He clutched his cards even more tightly as his hands began to shake, as the tears he'd been holding back began spilling over. He was horrified to realize that he was still standing on the dueling platform, as if he deserved to be there. And…_Where's Siegfried? He didn't even come down. He must be so angry with me…_ _I don't know what to do! _All he could see was Yami's hand, extended out to him…

The ex-spirit was momentarily stunned when Leon took a half step forward and clumsily latched onto him, but he recovered quickly and consoled the crying teen the best he could. Strange as it sounded, he was grateful for the times Mokuba had sought him out for comfort when he had been upset; it made him feel less awkward about the whole thing. Still, he was glad that the reporters and cameramen had already shuffled off their balcony… he didn't think Leon would appreciate seeing replays or photos of himself sobbing.

"Ach, stop blubbering, Leonhard," Siegfried snapped, finally stepping out of the stairwell and onto the sun-drenched rooftop. He ran his fingers through his hair in frustration.

Yami scowled, and tightened his arms around Leon. The poor kid didn't deserve to get yelled at after all he'd been through. But the tensing of Yami's muscles and the sound of his brother's voice brought Leon around, and he realized how odd it must've seemed for him to be clinging for dear life to the crimson-eyed man. Yugi-tachi were all staring at him. So he let go of Yami and took a step back, embarrassed and humiliated.

Siegfried didn't look any happier even after Leon let go. The pink-haired man had spent many endless nights plotting to take down Kaiba Corp… how could it all have gone so wrong? He had thought he had the perfect plan… distract Seto by causing a bit of havoc, then either he or Leon – it didn't matter who – would make the kill, winning their competitor's tournament and capping it off by defeating the King of Games himself, thus establishing Schroider Corp. as THE force to be reckoned with in Duel Monsters.

He hadn't planned on dueling Seto at all since the other CEO had announced that he wouldn't be participating in the tournament, but when the chance had come up, Siegfried was quick to jump on it. Too bad he had been unlucky and not drawn the Golden Castle during the duel; it would've been a great way to humiliate his adversary!

Despite his loss to Seto, Siegfried had remained optimistic that things would go his way. After all, HE had specifically designed the perfect virus and the perfect card. The Golden Castle of Stromberg was unbeatable. Not even someone who called himself the King of Games should've been able to destroy it, and yet, Yami had not only managed to find the one crack in its armor, but pulled off a victory even after losing his whole deck. Not even his deck… his brother's deck!

_But… I still win,_ Siegfried realized, now smiling sadistically. Yes, Yami had destroyed the Golden Castle, but only after it had been activated, spreading his devastating virus through Kaiba Corp.'s dueling database. Even though the Kaibas had sworn to do their best to combat it, surely by this point, they must've lost the fight, plus all their primary and backup dueling data as well. "Ah well, I suppose it doesn't matter. You can cry all you like, little brother. I don't care. I am satisfied with the blow I've struck to Kaiba Corp."

Yami opened his mouth to respond, but then he suddenly smiled. "I guess I'll let him tell you himself, Siegfried."

Brow furrowing, the German spun around to see Seto leaning against the wall by one of the exits. "Given up already?" he asked nastily as the brunette approached the group. Yugi-tachi parted to let Seto through, their voices quieting. They too wanted to hear the news regarding the virus.

"It was more of an inconvenience than a blow," Seto said snidely. "I expect we'll be back up and running within the hour. Probably sooner."

"Impossible!"

"Nothing's impossible," Seto asserted, smirking.

Siegfried shook his head, furious. His hands unconsciously clenched into tight fists. In response, Yugi-tachi stirred uneasily, ready to intervene if things got out of hand. "You lie! I don't believe it! There should be nothing at all left of your database by now!"

Seto simply folded his arms. "Hmm, that's funny. I swear I saw plenty of data last I checked, uncorrupted data at that. But, that's to be expected. After all, you're a failure, so how could your virus do anything but fail?"

Growling, Siegfried stepped forward and grabbed for the collar of Seto's coat, but the Kaiba Corp. CEO easily evaded him. Thrown off balance by his own momentum, the pink-haired man stumbled and nearly fell to his knees.

Seto took the opportunity to gloat some more, circling his adversary like a hungry wolf. "Hmph. If you spent all the time you wasted on plotting against me on bettering your company instead, your company might've stood a chance against mine. Then again, it's not like you were ever a match for me, so I guess what you were really aiming for was second place. Or, as I like to call it, first place loser."

Humiliation upon humiliation… Siegfried couldn't stand it! He snarled audibly, wanting nothing more than the satisfaction of smashing Seto's face in.

"Siegfried, don't!" Leon shouted as his big brother spun around, clearly intending to have another go at Seto. He lunged for Siegfried, hooking his own arm around his brother's, pulling back with all his might. Things had already spun too far out of control; he'd be damned if he was going to stand by and let Siegfried get arrested or beaten up for attacking Seto. "Don't do it! Haven't we already caused enough trouble? This… this isn't the type of person you are."

"Oh? Then what am I? Just a failure?" Siegfried spat out venomously. So much work, so much time and energy… and he had nothing to show for it!

"No! Never! I know you better than that." Leon gripped his brother's arm even tighter, his fingers digging into the sleeve. "But can't you see that this obsession is ruining you? Ruining us?"

"What's ruining us is that we cannot compete with Kaiba Corp.!"

"That's not true. If Schroider Corp. suffers from this, it's our own doing. We did some terrible things and we trashed our own reputation. I wish I could go back in time and undo all the things I did wrong here. I wish I had been able to duel Yugi." He paused to swallow, then turned to look at Yami, who was now standing at Seto's side. "But at the same time, I'm glad I got to duel Yami because I learned a lot from him. Despite everything that happened, despite all the disadvantages he faced, he never complained about how unfair it was and never gave up. And now I understand – it's the effort and the way you play the game that matters, not just winning and losing. That's what being a real champion is all about."

Yami gave Leon an encouraging smile. "Your brother's right," he told Siegfried. "You should be proud of him. He's a very smart young man, as well as a fine duelist."

The pink-haired German fell silent. There wasn't much he could say. Yes, he ought to be proud of how well Leon had done up to this point. He was one of the top ranked duelists in the world. He'd been undefeated until his duel with Yami. But somewhere along the way, Siegfried had forgotten about all of that. When did he decide his little brother no longer mattered?

Seeing that his brother's mania had likely run its course, Leon carefully released his hold, tugging on the fabric lightly to smooth out. "Schroider Corp. has been around a long time and has survived a lot of changes. And you knew you were taking a gamble when we switched over to the gaming industry. So what if we have to compete with Kaiba Corp.? That's just how business is," the redheaded teen reminded his brother. "But that doesn't mean we should give up or resort to cheating. If we really want to remain competitive, we just need to try harder."

"And what if that is not enough?" Siegfried asked, sounding deflated.

"Then at least we still have our honor. And each other. And that's enough for me, big brother."

A little surprised at the conviction in Leon's voice, Siegfried turned and saw his brother holding his arms out towards him. Unshed tears glittered in his eyes, but he was smiling; he had meant every word that he had said. After all that he'd done… Leon was still willing to embrace him and call him brother.

"I still want to help you, if you'll let me," Leon whispered.

A genuine smile touched Siegfried's lips. "You're far wiser than I," he said as he bent down to hug his brother briefly. "I'll… need to remind myself of all those things, I suppose. And this is a good time to start, eh? And so for starters…" and then he straightened up, "Herr Kaiba, Herr Mutou… I suppose should…"

Seto rolled his eyes. "I don't want to hear it. Just stop fucking with my company and my life, and I'll resist the urge to pay you back in kind."

Yami smiled. Seto would never admit to it, but Leon had done a number on his big brother nerve as well. For although it must've sounded to Siegfried like Seto was threatening him, Yami knew that his lover wasn't being serious. Not that it was easy to tell, considering the expression on his face. "Seto…"

"What? I'm serious." He placed his hand on Yami's shoulder as the two of them began walking away, their strides easily matching. The rest of the group slowly turned to follow. Siegfried and Leon lagged behind, confused, but Yami was sure they'd figure out soon enough that they had gotten off the hook. "Besides, I have a shiny new database to release, and a grand opening to wrap up, and your victory to celebrate…"

_And my victory to celebrate, huh? Private or public party?_ Yami teased, knowing full well that Seto wasn't going to celebrate anything until he was sure the computer problems had been dealt with.

_As much as I'd like to rub it in that bastard's face, I'm thinking… private._

Yami chuckled. He was looking forward to that.

* * *

TBC

Author's Notes:   
- Major / notable changes from canon:  
1) This chapter covers episode 198.  
2) I think Leon was actually a lot more cheerful in canon when Yami finally succeeded in destroying the Golden Castle, but that didn't fit with the way I approached this part of the arc. And in the same vein, if any of the other characters didn't react the same way as they did in canon, it's because I went with what fit my version of the story. That, and truthfully, I can't find my tapes of the last two episodes : /  
3) I know, it's not possible to combat a computer virus that easily and in such a short period of time, not even if you're Seto Frickin' Kaiba. Or, on the other hand, if the virus was that easy to combat, then it'd never have become a problem in the first place since it wouldn't get past the anti-viruses. But at least I realized that (unlike in canon, where the scriptwriters apparently had even less of a clue than I). So I tried to draw out the time spent on it a bit. That's why by the end of the chapter, the database still isn't completely rebuilt.  
4) One of the things (probably the first, well… no, actually, Seto summoning five dragons was the first) that made me want to redo the KCGP arc when I saw the anime was the scene where Mokuba goes with Seto to help him stem the spread of the virus. And he thinks to himself, "Poor Leon. He would've done anything to help his brother. And how did Siegfried repay him? With lies and betrayal. MY brother would NEVER do that to me." And it made me start thinking about two things: 1) the similarities and differences between Siegfried & Leon, and Seto & Mokuba and 2) Death-T. I think I covered the former sufficiently in the chapter – I mean, it's a central theme for this particular duel. As for the latter, granted, in the animated series, Death-T isn't part of the story so Mokuba is correct in saying that Seto had never betrayed him. But it's more fun to consider that same scene in the context of, what if Seto had betrayed him? It certainly would affect the dialogue. So that was what started the wheels in my mind turning…  
- LOL, this chapter started off at 12 pages in Word. And I thought it was almost ready to post. But after Nenya took a look at it, well... it ended up being 19 in Word : o And once again, I am not a computer or technically knowledgeable person. But I did at least consult hubby to see if some of the stuff was even possible. And in his words, There's likely only about .0000000001 percent of computer users that would ever want to have a virus on their system to be dealt with only after it activated. Perfecto! But really… this entire virus thing was a headache. I went back and forth with Nenya over it, and with hubby, and I redid various parts of it four, five times… ick! I think all three of us are extremely sick of it by now.


	12. Ch 11: Innermost Limits of Pure Fun

Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! is the creation of Kazuki Takahashi. Innermost Limits of Pure Fun is a film by George Greenough. "A Little Less Conversation" is performed and recorded by Elvis Presley. This is a not-for-profit fanwork and I do not own any of these characters.

* * *

**Summer of '69**

**Ch. 11: Innermost Limits of Pure Fun**

* * *

From his seat in the corner of the room, Yami watched silently as Seto sagged in his chair in exhausted relief. The brunette CEO had been double checking Noa and Mokuba's work to make sure that the dueling server was back up and fully functional and that the virus was permanently neutralized. And the younger Kaibas had come through, not only finishing the tasks they'd been assigned, but checking one another's work to make sure everything was back to normal.

"You both did good," Seto told the pair as he logged himself out of the terminal. He was more than satisfied with the way things had worked out. The worst the virus had done was waste their time, really.

"Of course, duh," Noa said haughtily, but his grin took the edge off his words.

"Noa…" Mokuba chided. He and Noa were still logged on their terminals, running a final round of integrity checks on the new server, but they were almost done, thankfully. He took the opportunity to stand up, stretching. It'd been one of the longest hour and 35 minutes of his life. But he felt good about it; he and his brothers had made one hell of a team. They had proved that they could take on anything Siegfried threw their way. "So what's next, Nii-sama?"

"Next?" Seto echoed.

"Yeah, like… anything else we can help you with?" Mokuba asked. Then a little too earnestly, he added, "Or is there anything scheduled that we need to attend?"

"Nothing major. Isono should've taken care of the post-Grand Prix press conference, and there'll be a small gathering for the duelists who participated in about a half hour."

Mokuba looked slightly disappointed. "And that's it?"

Seto wore a neutral expression on his face, though from way the corners of his mouth twitched, it was obvious he was fighting the urge to smile. "Yeah. Why?"

"Well… it IS someone's birthday tomorrow," Mokuba said slowly, studying Seto's face carefully. Then he scowled. "Nii-sama, come on, tell me! I know you planned something!"

The right side of Seto's mouth curled upwards. "Maybe."

"Ohhh… tell me!"

"Don't tell him," Noa warned, seeing that his big brother was wavering. Seto was never any good at keeping secrets from his beloved little brother. Not that he was great at it himself, a fact that Mokuba remembered all too well.

Turning to his boyfriend with a big grin, the black-haired teen yelled, "Fine, then you tell me!" He was acting more like a five-year-old than a 14, going on 15, year old. "Someone tell me!"

Yami chuckled and decided to intervene before Seto ended up spilling the beans. "Come on, Baby, we should start heading over to the hotel for the 'after party'…" _and find a place to "celebrate my victory" along the way, eh?_

_Don't you think about anything else?_ Seto retorted, but he was already standing up. He didn't anticipate any problems with having Noa and Mokuba finish up the final server scan on their own.

_Who me? You make me sound like some sort of pervert._

_You are!_

_Like you mind…_

"So meet you guys over at the hotel then?" Noa asked, figuring it was better to distract the two of them before they decided that the control room needed to be christened. Perhaps he and Mokuba ought to excuse themselves instead if that was what was going to end up happening.

Seto blinked, then nodded. "Grand ballroom."

"What's going on in the grand ballroom?" Mokuba asked with deliberate cluelessness.

"Nothing," Yami responded a little too quickly. Seto rolled his eyes at him, and he shrugged. At least he hadn't ruined the surprise… not that it was that much of a surprise. Mokuba had probably already figured it out anyway, that the so-called "after party" was in actuality, a birthday party for him. "Well, let's get going, Baby. We have an half hour before it starts, and I have…" and he coughed, "something to show you."

"It's down my pants," Noa whispered, just loud enough for Mokuba to hear. They both snickered.

Cocking an eyebrow, Seto gave the pair a weird look, having missed the joke but catching the resulting laughter. "So you two sure you're okay finishing up in here?"

"Of course. Don't worry about it. You go get lai… er, ready. For the, uh… party," Mokuba said lamely. Seto's eyebrow went even higher.

Yami coughed again but headed for the exit anyway, trying to pretend that he hadn't heard Mokuba's slip up. "Seto. Are you coming or not?" he asked from the doorway since the brunette was still standing there, staring at his little brother.

"Hopefully the answer is 'Not yet,' since we're still sitting here," Noa answered for him. Seto shot him a look that was part "Why me?" and part "You're so grounded," but the smirking green-haired teen wasn't intimidated. He knew Seto wasn't really mad about it. "But hey, don't let us ruin your fun."

Grinning sheepishly, Yami just shook his head and left. _Kids nowadays…_

Seto remained behind a moment longer, trying to think of a suitable comeback but failing to do so since his thoughts had already drifted southward, resulting in a slight tenting of his trousers. Heaving a huge sigh, he turned and stiffly followed Yami out the door, ignoring the knowing smirks on his brothers' faces.

* * *

Having Yami in the mood was what initially had gotten Seto in the mood, but now the brunette's libido was off and running on its own. So by the time Seto joined his boyfriend out in the hallway leading from the control room, he was pretty much ready to go, but unfortunately Yami wasn't the type who'd make out in a semi-publicly accessible hallway. So Seto began scouting around for a convenient room or elevator or something where they'd have some sort of privacy. He grabbed Yami's wrist and pulled him down one corridor and then another, then spotted a door to his left and went for it.

"Goddamn it," he hissed as he fumbled with pulling his locket out of his shirt. He wanted to get the door open NOW. Yami's hands had landed on his buttocks, cupping and fondling them. So much for not having sex in public – if he couldn't get the door open, Seto didn't think he could wait long enough to find another location. In desperation, Seto opted to press his clothed chest against the electronic sensor, hoping that would work.

_BEEP! _

"Oh thank God," Seto groaned as he pushed the door open, Yami shoving him from behind. He hit the lights and then suddenly stopped, looking around in bewilderment. Buckets, mops, vacuum cleaners…

"We're in a broom closet?" the former Pharaoh asked as the door click closed behind them.

"I guess we are."

"How romantic. I thought you knew where you were going."

"Does it matter?" Seto asked, though there was a hint of uncertainty in his eyes.

"Nah. I don't care. We've never done it in a broom closet before," Yami pointed out as he reached up to gently brush the hair out of Seto's eyes. "But it's a bit cramped for… certain activities."

Seto shrugged and tossed his briefcase in the corner, then put his hand on Yami's KC belt buckle. "I'll just suck you off. Will that do?"

Yami just grinned as his lover began stripping him. What else could he do? He certainly wasn't going to say no.

* * *

Despite the detour and ensuing extra curricular activities, Seto and Yami did make it to the party on time. They even managed to beat Noa and Mokuba there, though Yami knew that Noa would've delayed Mokuba's arrival until the last possible moment, just to make sure everyone else had time to get there first so they could set up for Mokuba's surprise. Or, more like Mokuba's "sort of" surprise, since he had to have known…

At least the black-haired teen put on a convincingly startled expression when he finally walked through the doors of the grand ballroom and was besieged by everyone in attendance. "Wow, thanks everyone!" he gushed. "I wasn't expecting this at all!" But then he winked at Noa, which pretty much ruined the act.

"I know it's a day early," Seto pointed out quietly, "but I figured you wouldn't object."

Mokuba smiled. Of course he didn't mind. And besides, he had already known that several of their guests would be leaving late that evening or early the next day. So it made sense that they'd celebrate a day in advance.

"So you're going to be… what, 14? 15?" Rebecca asked. While she knew they were close in age, she could never remember if he was older or younger than her.

"15!" Mokuba clarified quickly.

Mai laughed. "One more year and you'll be street legal, kiddo."

Seto just shook his head as Mokuba's eyes lit up. "Yeah, I can hardly wait! But I guess it's a bit early to be asking for a car, right Nii-sama?"

"We'll talk about it next year," Seto answered dryly as everyone laughed at the exchange, though all he could tell himself was, _I don't even want to think about it._ Then, as if even that realization was too much, he pulled back a little from the crowd around his younger brother.

Yami didn't need a mind link to know what was on his boyfriend's mind. He slid his arm around the young CEO's waist, letting his touch and presence reassure him, then as Mokuba took a step towards them, a hint of worry in his eyes, he told him in a low voice, "I hope you don't grow up TOO fast, Mokuba…"

"I know. I won't," he responded contritely, hearing the "Your brother can't handle it" left hanging in the air. But he knew Yami wouldn't say it, even if Seto weren't in earshot.

Yami nodded, knowing that the youngest Kaiba understood what he'd been trying to say. But he hadn't meant to bring Mokuba's mood down. It was still a birthday party, and despite all the bumps in the road, they had a successful grand opening and Duel Monsters tournament to celebrate as well. He was just about to remind them all of that when he heard someone murmur, "Did someone invite him?…"

"Hmm?" Several people were now looking over at the entrance. The crimson-eyed man followed the direction of their gazes to see Leon standing in the doorway, looking quite uncertain at the sudden silence that had descended on the group. "Leon?"

The redheaded teen shifted nervously. "Uh, hi." He wasn't sure why he had decided to make an appearance; his flight was set to leave in three hours, and more importantly, he probably wasn't welcome. The invitation Noa had extended to him had been made when he was just simply Leon Wilson, not Siegfried's little brother, Leonhard von Schroider. But the part of him that had been foolishly clinging onto friendship once offered had hoped that they wouldn't notice him, or somehow not care. What was he thinking? "I'm sorry… I shouldn't have come."

Noa and Mokuba exchanged looks, then Noa looked over his shoulder at Seto, who just gave the barest of shrugs. He was leaving it to them, then.

"I don't mind," Mokuba said softly.

_Well, guess it's up to me. _Noa nodded, then turned to Leon. "Well, I didn't uninvite you, so I guess the invitation stands." He figured that if Leon had the balls to show up after everything that had happened, he wasn't going to be the one to back down.

"R… really?" Leon's voice cracked a little. He seemed relieved. Apparently, he really did want to be there. Then he turned back to look at the door behind him for a long moment before addressing Noa again. "I can't stay long though, and... my brother's outside…" he began to say, though after those three words, he couldn't think of what else to add. The truth was, Siegfried – the _real_ Siegfried, the big brother that he knew and loved - wasn't going to just toss him into a den of wolves and walk away now that he practically had a sign above him reading "Dead Meat." But… he couldn't say that. And it probably also wasn't advisable to point out that they'd decided it made more sense for Leon to walk in first, because quite frankly, he was far less likely to get beaten up on sight.

Noa just stared at Leon as the other teen struggled to find something to say, then shook his head slightly. He definitely wasn't going to make that decision himself. Seto was obviously thinking the same thing, because he stepped forward to say, "It's not that I think he'll behave himself, but rather that I'd like to have him where I can see him."

_I guess that's a yes?_ "Um, okay," Leon said hesitantly, taking a few quick steps back to prop the door open and wave his brother in before Seto had a chance to change his mind.

In spite of everything that had happened, Siegfried was still Siegfried. Not that he swaggered forth like the cocky bastard that he'd been in the beginning of the tournament, but he also wasn't going to apologetically crawl in and beg to be allowed to stay. Everyone in the room stared as he walked in, some skeptically, others with barely restrained hostility. At least it took the heat off of Leon, who was currently doing his impression of lumpy wallpaper.

Seto was the first to welcome the von Schroiders to his little brother's birthday bash. "Don't make me regret my decision," he growled.

Siegfried just bowed his head slightly in acknowledgement, which was apparently enough to appease the alpha dog in the other CEO. And once again, no questioned Seto's decision to let the German stay. It was his ballroom after all, in his hotel, and his little brother's birthday…

Still, the unfriendly silence was starting to become a bit stifling. And Seto hadn't exactly extended the warmest of welcomes to the von Schroider siblings. So, with a sigh, Mokuba decided it was his job to try and keep the peace. It was what he was good at.

Putting on his most encouraging smile, Mokuba told Leon, "You should try the punch. It's really good." At the same time, he stepped away from his mob of friends to approach the other teen so that he wouldn't feel like he was having to answer to a wall of people. Hopefully everyone else would follow his example and go back to the business of having a good time.

Noa was the first to follow his lead, of course. "Yeah, it's pretty kickass. Want to get a glass?"

Leon couldn't believe how friendly Mokuba and Noa were being – he figured the Kaiba brothers would be the hardest to win over after the whole virus debacle – but he was glad he was wrong. He liked Mokuba and Noa. He had hoped that maybe there was a small chance that they could be friends someday, real friends. But seeing the way the pair were acting, his chances were looking pretty good. It made him especially glad that he had kept his knowledge of their relationship a secret. They didn't know he saw them. He had no intention of telling them, at least, not in the foreseeable future. But more importantly, he had no intention of telling anyone else either, not even Siegfried, because Noa and Mokuba were his friends. And that realization made him happy.

"Thanks. It sounds good," Leon finally responded as he went to join the pair over at the refreshments table.

"Huh, that's it?" Jou muttered to himself, blinking at the teens. He thought there would've been a fight of some sort. He was almost disappointed that there wasn't because Siegfried deserved it. But Seto and Yami were now wandering away from the group, apparently more interested in one another than the von Schroiders, and Pegasus and the Doom trio were now approaching Siegfried, and… amazingly, things looked like were going to be all right.

"Hey man, you okay?" Honda asked, suddenly noticing the stunned look on his friend's face.

"I… guess so…" Then he grinned broadly, catching scent of hot appetizers being delivered to the buffet tables. The food had been timed to allow for Mokuba's arrival. But the guest of honor was there now, and the tasty tidbits were just calling Jou's name. "Well, damn it, I'm really hungry! Outta my way, that buffet is callin' my name!"

"What?! No way, me first!" Honda yelled back as the two of them dashed towards the hors d'oeuvres.

"Over my dead body! I'm starvin'!"

"God you two, don't act so immature!" Anzu chided, chasing after them like a mother hen. Jou and Honda hadn't done that in ages. But she smiled as she realized that were behaving like that intentionally; it felt good to let loose after all the stress the group had been under.

"They can't help it, I guess. It's just the way they are," Yugi told her as they rushed by, chuckling. He understood though. He felt just as relieved as everyone else at seeing the tournament and grand opening successfully draw to a close. But it wasn't _quite_ over yet, at least not for him and his grandfather. There was one final task yet. If all went well, they'd each be down one Duel Monsters card by the end of the day…

* * *

TBC

Author's Notes:   
- Major / notable changes from canon:  
1) This chapter covers the end of episode 198; well, chronologically, that's where it fits. But I pretty much made up everything from hereon out.  
- Broom closet! Why didn't I think of it before… Obviously the lemon was omitted for ffnet; full version is on my site.  
- Re: Mokuba's birthday. Yes, I deliberately timed it so that the park would open right before Mokie's birthday. Notice of course, the grand opening is over by the actual date… I think while Seto would consider the park's opening a sort of gift for his brother since KaibaLand is a dream of theirs, he also wouldn't want it to overshadow his brother's actual birthday.  
- Re: Mokuba and Rebecca's ages. Just a reminder that the entire ficverse is written based on American institutions, so that is why Mai says that Mokuba will be able to drive the next year, when he turns 16. And I haven't decided if Rebecca is older or younger… they're relatively close in age as far as I'm concerned, so it doesn't matter. I'm just setting up (as always) for a possible Mokuba and Noa learning to drive fic in the future.


	13. Ch 12: The Endless Summer

Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! is the creation of Kazuki Takahashi. The Endless Summer is a film by Bruce Brown. "Running on Empty" is performed and recorded by Jackson Browne. World of Warcraft and all monsters, armor, etc. within are the property of Blizzard Entertainment. This is a not-for-profit fanwork and I do not own any of these characters.

**

* * *

Summer of '69**

**Ch. 12: The Endless Summer**

* * *

"Yugi, are you ready?" Sugoroku asked in a very low voice.

The violet-eyed man thoughtfully trailed his fingers over the pocket containing his deck, then nodded. No time like the present, he supposed. Even though he had already said goodbye, he'd still miss the Dark Magician of course, just as Sugoroku would miss the fourth BEWD. But both grandfather and grandson understood and accepted that neither card belonged to them anymore. Seto's tournament had been the final confirmation of that.

_Yami, I need to speak to you for a moment. Privately._

_Aibou?_

_And Jii-chan needs to talk to Kaiba, _Yugi added. He could sense Yami's curiosity being piqued and tried to stay calm, lest he give anything away.

_Jii-chan? … Okay…_

Taking a deep breath, Yugi turned and motioned for his grandfather to follow him to the table in the back of the room where Yami and Seto sat waiting for them. Seto stood up when they arrived, taking a few steps back before turning to see if Sugoroku would follow. The elderly game shop owner nodded and went with the young CEO, feeling the card in his pocket growing warm again, encouraging him in his endeavor.

Seto led Sugoroku to the back corner of the room, stopping only when he was satisfied that there was enough distance between them and Yugi-tachi. The young billionaire wasn't sure what Sugoroku wanted to talk to him about, but if it was because he had done something wrong, he didn't want to chance anyone overhearing it. Not that he was sure what he had done to deserve a lecture; the only thing that came to mind was that maybe Sugoroku had heard from Yugi about how drained Yami had become from their attempts at energy transfer, and he disapproved. Or maybe Yami wasn't the issue… maybe he was upset that Yugi's opportunity to duel had been stolen from him because of the way he had handled the Siegfried situation. He wasn't sure. But it made him uneasy, because he knew Yami thought of the old man as his grandfather, so he couldn't just blow off whatever he had to say.

Sugoroku tried to give Seto a reassuring smile. The younger man seemed to be growing tense, as if he expected something bad to happen. Not that the signs were easily noticeable. He had crossed his arms and let his bangs drift down to slightly shield his eyes, just enough to indicate that he was anticipating a fight. Sugoroku tried not to take offense… the last time he had spoken to Seto alone, he had questioned the permanence of Seto's relationship with Yami. That wasn't a very good precedent to set. Maybe he had only agreed to a chat to give Yami and Yugi a little privacy, not because he was curious, like Sugoroku had initially thought.

Well, regardless of the reason, there was only so much he could do with words. But maybe his actions could set things right.

Reaching into his back pocket, Sugoroku carefully pulled out the dark blue velvet case and silently held it out to Seto, hoping that he'd simply accept it. Seto unfurled his arms, tentatively extending his hand just a little… and then stopped, staring at it.

"Go on, take it," Sugoroku finally said, seeing that the brunette wasn't going to take it without some encouragement.

Seto shook his head very slightly. Oh, he knew what it was all right. Even with the lid closed, he could _feel_ it. There was literally a spark of electricity in the air. His pulse quickened, his mouth went dry.

"Kaiba?"

"I can't," he muttered, still staring at the navy blue box. Even though he wouldn't take it, he just couldn't take his eyes off it, either.

"But it belongs to you."

"No. It rejected me. And I tore it up."

The game shop owner tried to think of what he could possibly say to convince the young man before him. It wouldn't be an easy task. "You have a connection with the Blue Eyes White Dragon. And that's true for all of them, including this one. But… you used to be a very different person. You stole this card from me. But dragons only give their loyalty to those who've earned it."

Seto gave a slight nod. He agreed with that at least. He just disagreed with the notion that he had earned it, and he couldn't stand the thought of it rejecting him a second time. After all, it wasn't like Sugoroku was proposing a duel, and he hadn't asked for payment…

"Let's make a deal," Sugoroku said, stepping forward to push the box with gentle insistence into Seto's hand. The younger man held his breath as his fingers slowly curled around it, resting so lightly on the surface that Sugoroku wondered if the box would tumble to the ground if he were to let go at that moment. "I want you to take it and keep it this week. Next week, when you come back to Domino, if you still feel it doesn't belong to you, you can return it and I will never bring it up again."

Seto gulped a breath of air. "Why?" Surely, there had to be something in it for the older man….

"Because… this dragon has decided that you've earned its loyalty. And I'm not going to argue with it." He carefully let go of the box, feeling it tremble slightly between his fingers, but as he had hoped, Seto tightened his grip just enough so that it wouldn't fall. But Seto made no effort to open it, as if even holding the case was too much for him.

Then, after a long minute, Seto finally looked up from the box to meet Sugoroku's steady gaze. His mouth opened, but he couldn't think of anything to say. Should he thank him? Promise to take care of it until it was time to return it? Maybe he was being tested… "I…"

"You're welcome," the old man said, as if Seto had voiced his thoughts out loud. Then, perhaps to spare Seto the embarrassment of having to stammer a thank you, he turned away and headed back to where Yugi and Yami sat, giving the young CEO standing unsteadily in the corner of the room a chance to consider his words in private.

* * *

While Sugoroku had been trying to convince Seto to accept the fourth Blue Eyes, Yugi had been busy with his own version of the same task. He had sat himself across from Yami, a little nervous and a little excited. He had no doubt he could convince Yami to take the card, but his other half seemed distracted, casting side glances over at the corner where Sugoroku and Seto stood. It probably didn't help things that Yugi was subconsciously projecting his mood at Yami, but once he realized that maybe that was part of the problem, Yami calmed down… a tiny bit. Well, maybe Seto's nerves were doing a number on him too.

"Yami, I have something for you," Yugi began assertively, hoping to get the attention of the other man.

Crimson eyes swung over to meet violet. "I'm sorry… I'm a little distracted," he admitted. He shifted in his chair slightly so that he was now fully facing Yugi, giving him his attention. "What is it?"

Yugi smiled as he reached into his pocket, drawing the Dark Magician from his deck for the last time, placing it on the table as confidently as he would if he were playing it in a duel. Yami wouldn't accept it if he were anything less than certain. "Just as the Blue Eyes belong to Kaiba, this belongs to you."

Yami blinked once, then twice, realizing not only what Yugi was intending, but Sugoroku as well. "Aibou… but I told you to keep it. You're still using him in your duels."

"I know. And I think maybe I wasn't ready to let go of it, until now. But he's always been yours. I was just borrowing him for a while. It helped, having him, when we were finally separate and you were ready to move on, to have a piece of you with me," he explained. Then he reached up, lightly touching the Sennen Puzzle hanging from his neck. "Well, another piece of you."

"I hope you aren't going to suggest I take the Puzzle back as well," Yami countered even as he reached over and picked up the card, running his fingers over the familiar image. Even when it hadn't been in his hands, he couldn't help but see it in his mind every time he thought of his lover, who permanently carried the spellcaster on his back. "Are you really sure about this?"

"Yes. When I saw you play him during your duel with Leon, I knew it was time… and I said goodbye."

Yami visibly relaxed a little. "Thank you," he murmured. It wasn't sufficient to express how grateful he felt, how grateful he was to have someone like Yugi in his life, but what words could? Yugi was everything to him… friend, brother, partner. And holding the Dark Magician, which called to his soul as well as his partner's, felt like holding onto another affirmation of their bond. With a smile, the ex-spirit caressed the surface of the card once more, then pulled out his deck and reverently slid the card into a place of honor on top of the stack.

"No, thank you. For understanding, and for letting me hold on to it so long."

Yami just chuckled, and pulled his partner in for a hug. "I meant what I said about the Puzzle though," he said with a grin when they finally parted.

Yugi matched his grin. "I'm glad. I don't think I could ever let go completely."

"I wouldn't want to."

"Me neither."

Yami nodded, thankful that Yugi understood and felt the same way.

Then, as if to reconfirm the strength of their connection, the violet-eyed man gave Yami a long, searching look, and told him, _Go on, he needs you._

_Are you sure?_ Yami asked, even as he rose to his feet. Sugoroku was already heading back towards them, a half smile on his face. Seeing that, plus sensing Seto's obvious discomfort, he could guess what had happened, though the contrast between their respective reactions felt strange.

_Of course. I can feel it too, through you. And I won't feel any better until you do, _Yugi pointed out, his mental voice a warm and soothing balm on Yami's nerves.

Grateful for Yugi's understanding and unable to think of anything else to say, Yami took a small step back and bowed deeply, then stopped to courteously nod at his grandfather before hurrying off to join Seto.

The little duelist watched as Yami ran off, then looked over at his grandfather. "How did it go? I'm assuming he took it…"

"Yes, eventually. Though I don't think he's convinced that this isn't all some sort of trick, even now." The elderly man sighed. Despite Seto's obvious desire for the card, it had taken some work to convince him to take it, even temporarily. And he supposed that if Seto came back to Domino and decided to return the card, he'd have to accept it – they had a deal. He really hoped that wouldn't end up happening since that hadn't been his intent, but given Seto's unpredictable nature, it was a remote possibility.

Watching as Yami finally reached his boyfriend and feeling the slight drop in Seto's anxiety level that followed, Yugi smiled. "Well, it was probably the last thing he'd ever expect to see. But I'm glad you did it. I think it meant more coming from you than if you were to give it to me and I gave it to Kaiba in turn."

"Yes." Then, following the direction of Yugi's gaze, he coughed mildly and added, "I think we should give them some privacy now, don't you agree?"

Yugi started, then shook his head and laughed at his own behavior. "Yeah. Let's go grab something to eat…."

* * *

Noa, Mokuba and Leon ended up taking their conversation over to a round table by the head of the buffet area, where they could easily load up on more punch if they felt like it. Leon had initially feared that they'd have nothing to talk about, nothing pleasant at least, and had wondered one last time… was it a mistake to attend the party? But almost immediately his fears were allayed. Mokuba and Noa were friendly. Even Rebecca came over to join them. They were all interested in getting to know him more. None of them cared that he was a top ranked duelist or a von Schroider or anything. It was… nice, just being himself for a change. And it turned out, they had a lot in common…

"… so then of course, I had to tell Nii-sama that I was the one that got feared into the whelp pits. And the guy who was bitching about it got booted from the raid and gkicked, right in the middle of phase 3," Mokuba was saying, animatedly describing his guild's first Onyxia kill. It turned out Leon was not only an avid online gamer, but he had an unguilded Alliance druid as well. It made sense to try and recruit him to their server, especially when they could always use another decent healer.

Leon laughed at the story. "That's awesome! I never got in the whelp pits, thankfully… I always tried to steer clear of them."

"Well, you obviously never tried keeping up a main tank who believes in nothing but berserker stance," Noa pointed out, grateful for the fact that he had chosen to play a hunter and not a healing class, like a druid.

Leon nodded. "Yeah, that's just… ouch."

"I aggroed them once. The whelps, I mean," Rebecca admitted. "On purpose."

Noa snorted. "Why? That's dumb. People must've been pissed."

"Well, I was mad, okay?!" Rebecca shot back. "It was a semi-PuG, and the guild running it said we could all roll, but the raid leader gave the tier 2 hunter helm to a guildee without a roll and then claimed he 'accidentally' clicked it when you know it doesn't work that way!"

"That sucks," Leon said sympathetically. He had seen that sort of thing happen, but thankfully, had never been directly affected by it.

"Yeah. So as they divvied up the loot, I used 'Eyes of the Beast' on my pet and ran it into the whelp pits." The blonde girl smiled wickedly at the memory. "You should've heard everyone screaming in Vent…"

"Uh… yeah." Noa made a mental note to never invite Rebecca's hunter to their guild. Last thing they needed was a loose cannon with their guild tag floating overhead pissing off everyone on the server.

"Well, like I said, if you two feel like transferring or making a new toon on our server, send me a tell and I'll send you a guild invite. We're just looking for people who like having fun," Mokuba explained, giving his boyfriend an apologetic look. He knew Noa still wasn't fond of Rebecca, even though she wasn't so bad now that she'd stopped making a play for him. The black-haired teen wasn't sure what had changed her mind about him, but whatever it was, he was grateful for it.

He felt pretty comfortable talking to both Rebecca and Leon. Maybe it was an age thing, since they were all younger than Yugi and the rest of the gang. Maybe it was a bit of shared experience and understanding. Well, whatever it was… Mokuba liked it. He hadn't always understood why Yugi, Anzu and Jounouichi thought friendship was so important. After all, Seto didn't need it. But – and Mokuba hated to admit it – Seto had been wrong. He just hadn't really understood it until he met Yami and began to see things through his eyes.

They all lived in different places, and came from different backgrounds. But Duel Monsters had brought them all together. Now looking around the room, at all the conversations and the laughter, the smiles and the camaraderie, and best of all, at the bonds of friendship and love, Mokuba knew… this was how things ought to be. And it was a wonderful birthday present.

Then he looked at his watch, realizing that even when a moment seemed perfect, it was just a moment, over in a heartbeat. "What time did you say your flight was again?"

Leon glanced at his watch as well, then looked up, a bit forlorn. Time had just flown by. Why did he have to go now, when he had new friends to talk to? It didn't seem fair. "Oh… my brother and I need to start heading to the airport. I wish we had the foresight to schedule a few more days off. But… I know Siegfried's eager to get back. After all, we have a lot of work ahead of us if we ever hope to compete with Kaiba Corp."

"There's not enough hours in the day for that to happen. But you can try," Noa said, smirking.

Leon didn't take offense. It was an honest challenge. He looked forward to making the effort. "I welcome the opportunity. But we'll do it by the book from now on." Then the redhead spotted his brother slowly starting to wander over, and stood up, quickly bowing at the waist. "I'm glad I met all of you..."

"It was nice meeting you too, Leon," Rebecca said as Leon half-turned to look at Siegfried. The pink-haired man simply nodded politely, but didn't approach the table. He wasn't going to disturb their goodbyes, having learned something of restraint during the tournament.

"Aw, don't talk like that. We'll see you around online," Mokuba told Leon.

"Once you hear Seto screaming about lazy DPS and not getting enough heals during Maulgar, you'll feel like you're sitting right there with us," Noa added, unable to resist making another lighthearted jab at Seto's style of raid leading. Mokuba poked him in the arm for the comment, though even he couldn't deny the truth of that statement.

"I can hardly wait," Leon replied dryly, though a half smile crept through on his face. He really did mean it. He looked over at his brother one more time, then turned back to give the group a final wave. "Well, we better get going. Thanks for everything, you guys," he said, then he spun around and trotted up to Siegfried, walking side by side with his brother as the two of them disappeared out the door.

For a minute, the remaining trio was silent. Uncomfortable with the sudden drop in communication and sensing that the younger Kaibas wanted some privacy, Rebecca excused herself to go grab something to eat. When the blonde girl finally left, Noa smiled thinly and ran his index finger around the rim of his empty glass, mumbling, "I really admire you, you know?"

Mokuba blinked at him. "What?"

"The way you don't hold grudges against people. I mean, Leon's Siegfried's brother. And look at everything Siegfried did, and everything that Leon did because of Siegfried."

Mokuba shrugged a little. "That's like saying I'm only Seto's little brother, nothing more…"

"You're not! I mean, of course you are, but you're more than that." He didn't know why he had said that. He wouldn't want anyone judging him based on their opinion of his father. Frustrated at his own flawed logic, he sighed. "I know, I'm being unreasonable…"

"Besides, if Leon didn't do everything in his power to help his big brother… I think I'd have more of a problem with that than anything else," Mokuba added quietly.

Noa knew his boyfriend was thinking of Seto, as always. "Yeah…"

"… But if it really bothers you, I won't talk to him if he contacts me later, if that's what you want…"

"Geez, no! I think it's cool that still you want to be friends with him... Rebecca too. I'm just not as good at this type of thing as you are. But I'm trying to be better about it."

Mokuba smiled, encouraged by Noa's words, then he nudged the green-haired teen. "I know. And I guess we should look at the bright side, too. At least you and Seto kinda worked through some of the things bothering the two of you. You really came through with that anti-virus…"

It was Noa's turn to shrug. "I'm glad he wasn't mad about it, that he accepted what I did. At least, he hasn't said anything to the contrary. But I owed him, for opening my big mouth about him and Yami. I just hope he understood what I was trying to tell him…"

The younger teen was ready to just blurt out an affirmative, but with Seto… it was always a little hard to tell if things had sunk in. He could be a bit thick headed on occasion. And Noa was, quite obviously, equally unsure about how successful his efforts were, not quite trusting in himself or in Seto.

_God, they're each as stubborn as the other, _Mokuba realized. What Seto and Noa really needed to do was to sit down, just the two of them, and have a good long talk. Lay all their cards on the table so to speak, because nothing would ever really be resolved if they refused to communicate with one another directly. But he knew they were both trying, and they had made obvious progress… and that was good enough for the moment. He could be patient.

But… that didn't mean he wasn't allowed to help move things along, either. "You could talk to him, if you're worried about it…" Mokuba continued on as he cast an eye out for his big brother. Surprisingly, he wasn't sitting with Yami, who was plopped down at a table across the room chatting with Valon and the Doom guys. "… Not right now, but when things are a little more settled… But speaking of Seto… where is he? I don't see him."

Noa took a quick look around. Thankfully Seto's height made him pretty easy to spot, even though it turned out he was in the last place Noa had thought to look. "Um… he's by the end of the buffet line." He pointed over to where the brunette was standing.

"Ah, good. He needs to eat," Mokuba commented, watching as Seto drifted further away from where they were seated, brushing past Jou, Honda and Bakura. There seemed to be something off about him… he didn't seem angry or anything, but just… something was wasn't right. Mokuba just couldn't place his finger on it.

"I'm glad he agreed to take a day off. Maybe we can talk him into two or three even. He needs the rest," Noa said, then he noticed that Mokuba seemed distracted. "Hey… what's wrong?"

Mokuba quickly looked over at his boyfriend, then back at his older brother. "I… guess I'm just glad this is all over, that's all," he replied, a hint of a frown on his face.

Noa wondered about the change in Mokuba's demeanor, but couldn't imagine what would be causing it. "Me too… And hey, it's your birthday, and everything's okay now, right?"

"Yeah, I guess." But he still had the feeling that he'd better keep an eye on Seto, just in case.

* * *

Jou had been stalking the buffet line for a while now, another nearly full plate of food carefully balanced in one hand. He couldn't resist… as the party wore on, the menu kept changing and he wanted to try everything, especially since it was on Seto's dime. He zeroed in on a display of skewered shrimp with sesame glaze that looked awfully tempting. Even Seto must've thought so, since he was standing in front of them, staring at them. But he wasn't putting any on his plate.

"Come on Kaiba, grab some and move on. You're holdin' up the line," Jou complained at the brunette's back. When Seto didn't budge, didn't even acknowledge him with an insult, Jou realized that something was wrong. But he wasn't sure exactly what it was. "Hey, Kaiba…"

Seto started, then blinked hard once, then twice. Strange… he couldn't see a thing. It was as if someone had suddenly turned off the lights. The knowledge of what he was experiencing slowly crept into his sluggish brain. He had experienced it several times before under Gozaburo's tutelage, but was helpless to do anything about it now that his mind was in the middle of a full shutdown. It was more than a little disconcerting.

"Kaiba… you okay?"

Seto finally grunted breathlessly in response. He had heard Jou say his name but the rest of what he said was gibberish. Seto frowned, replaying the jumbled sounds in his head, trying to focus long enough make sense of them, but he was getting nothing but static that rushed up on him like a hurricane…

Meanwhile, Jou was beginning to get a little mad at the lack of response… and maybe a little worried too, just a bit. Seto was just zoning on him. It was so unlike him. Usually he'd whirl around and call him a stupid mutt, but he was just standing there. Jou looked a little more closely at the taller man. Seto's breathing was becoming labored, his skin paler than usual. A cold sweat had broken out on his brow and his eyes were glassy. He began rocking back slightly on his heels just as Jou began reaching out instinctively for his arm, which turned out to be a fortunate thing indeed, for no sooner had Jou's hand closed around Seto's bicep did the unconscious CEO drop like a lead weight, his head lolling back dangerously…

"What the fuck?!" Jou gasped as the taller man's head barely missed smashing into the travertine tiles beneath their feet, the plate of food shattering on the floor as if to emphasize what could've happened. Good thing he had grabbed Seto's arm as quick as he did!

"What happened?" a voice asked, hands reaching in to help. Jou followed them up along powerful forearms to see Rishid helping him lower Seto to the floor.

"Dunno. One minute he's standin' there, and then he just dropped like a rock," the blonde explained as he yanked off his lightweight jacket, wadding it into a ball to serve as a pillow of sorts. He'd never be best friends with Seto, but he didn't really hate him either, despite all the things he said to the contrary. Besides, the guy had just passed out. It wasn't a good time to be cataloging his flaws.

Ishizu, who had been standing next to Rishid, bent down and did a quick check to make sure Seto was still breathing as Yami sprinted up, eyes wide in concern. She and Rishid parted to make way for him, though they remained close by, in case he needed any assistance.

"What happened?!" he asked brusquely, not expecting an answer as he knelt down to catalog his boyfriend's condition. It wasn't the first time Seto had conked out on him, but he had never done it standing in the middle of a crowded room before, and never so abruptly. Thankfully, he didn't appear to be injured, but Yami could sense just how physically depleted Seto was now that he was no longer able to block him. He had literally run out of gas.

Yami was tempted to ask Rishid or Rafael to help him carry Seto up to a vacant room or something so that he could get the rest he desperately needed, but he knew Seto would be pissed off at the thought of everyone watching him getting carted off like a sack of potatoes. Plus, it was Mokuba's birthday party on top of that, and the black-haired teen was rushing over now, a look of panic on his face. _Seto… wake up!_

On the edge of consciousness, the young CEO heard someone calling to him in concern. But they sounded distant… muffled… the voice echoing in his head, familiar… but he couldn't quite nail it down. Everything seemed so surreal, like a dream, cottony and indistinct. He didn't like it. There was something wrong. The voice called to him again, more strongly this time. His consciousness shifted toward it, slowly pushing past the omnipresent fog surrounding him...

Seto suddenly awoke with a start, exhaling harshly. There were hazy faces peering down at him, their voices loud, indecipherable. Why were they there? Disoriented, he tried to ask what had happened and where he was, but he literally couldn't find his voice. He couldn't even move. It should've bothered him, and he knew that, but for some reason, he couldn't think of the reason why.

_Seto… Baby, it's okay. I'm here, _Yami whispered when he saw his lover's eyes rolling around, out of focus. And he was panting, as if he had been running a marathon. Yami held onto him tightly, stroking his hair reassuringly, hoping that his touch, along with his mental voice, would be enough to get through to his boyfriend.

Seto shivered involuntarily, faint, fuzzy memories sparking his very sluggish mind enough that at least, he knew he had been in this situation before a long time ago, but… it didn't seem the same. Eight, nine years ago… someone calling his name and touching him would've been bad news. It would've meant that he had fallen asleep during his lessons, that Gozaburo or one of his many tutors were angry, that there'd be a slap across the face or the sting of a switch across his knuckles. But the voice he had heard belonged to Yami, not Gozaburo, and those were Yami's crimson eyes above him, looking at him in concern, and Yami's arms cradling his body…

With a soundless sigh, he rolled his head towards Yami, and let his eyes slide shut again. God, nothing felt real – not the hollow aching of his muscles, not the chill of the hard floor. He was so tired that he wasn't even conscious of being tired anymore. But now that he knew Yami was there, he knew he was safe. It was okay to sleep.

A small smile creased Yami's lips at the gesture, and he tightened his grip on Seto even more. _Kai-baby… come on, wake up. Just for a little bit._ Seto barely stirred. _I know you're tired. But you can't sleep here._ And even though he knew his lover was against it, he went ahead and pushed open the pathway to his energy reserves, literally force-feeding Seto enough energy to get him by, but not too much, for fear of triggering his slumbering defenses.

"Nii-sama…" Mokuba added, his voice pleading. He had run over the moment he saw Seto go down but had hung back after he saw his brother come to on the ground, thinking he'd be okay and that he just needed a moment to gather himself. But now that Seto had slipped back into seeming unconsciousness, he felt his own anxiety increasing again. He wasn't sure what was wrong with his big brother and Yami hadn't saying anything to reassure him that things were all right.

Seto issued a soft groan at the sound of Mokuba's voice, but despite his condition, he couldn't deny it. If Mokuba needed him, he'd respond. It took him a long minute to find even the tiny amount of energy needed to force open his eyes, but when he finally did, he was rewarded with the sight of a blurry, pale face set in a mass of black hair. "Mo… kuba?"

"He needs to sleep, but in a real bed, not on the floor," Noa whispered into Mokuba's ear as his boyfriend crouched down to take Seto's hand, giving it a squeeze, trying to reassure both himself and Seto that everything would be okay.

"I know…" Mokuba sighed. He looked at the crowd that gathered around them, suddenly extremely grateful that Siegfried had already left. Everyone standing around were their friends, but still… he didn't like having so many people seeing his big brother in a moment of weakness. Tugging on Seto's hand, he urged, "Nii-sama, come on…"

"He can't get up, never mind walk," Honda muttered.

_He can walk_, Mokuba thought, even though he knew Seto was better off being carried. But it was already bad enough that everyone saw him collapse. He'd at least give him the chance to salvage some semblance of dignity. "Nii-sama…"

Much to everyone's amazement, Seto complied, slowly bending a leg and planting a foot on the ground, trying to get his feet under him while Mokuba tugged on his arm and Yami braced him from behind. With tremendous effort, he somehow managed to get upright, his eyelids drooping closed as he began swaying dangerously.

"He needs to go to a hospital or something," Bakura said, concerned.

Mokuba quickly objected with a shake of his head. It was exhaustion. He didn't need a doctor to tell him that. Seto would recover on his own as long as he got plenty of rest. "Noa, can you call the front desk and find us an available room? Anything will do."

"There should be one or two on our floor," Shizuka hesitantly volunteered as the green-haired teen began dialing. Noa nodded his thanks, for once biting back the obvious question that her remark had brought to mind.

That settled, Mokuba concentrated on keeping Seto up until they could find someplace to put him. He was already starting to lean back pretty hard, his chin dropping to rest on his chest, so Mokuba hooked one of Seto's arms around his shoulders and encouraged Yami to do the same. At least they could keep him propped up a little while longer that way.

Seto was barely aware that he was standing by the time Noa reported back that the keycards for room 869 were ready to go. He was nodding off a second or two at a time, only to jerk awake for a moment of lucidity before repeating the cycle all over again. When Mokuba encouraged him to start walking, he tried to comply, but he honestly wasn't all that certain if he was actually making progress. He felt like he was walking on legs of gelatin with cement blocks strapped to his feet – they felt impossibly heavy and the floor felt far away and uneven beneath him. Then he'd blank out for a moment, only to come to enough to realize that people were talking around him, or perhaps about him… he wasn't exactly sure. They all seemed to be mumbling, and it sounded like a hive of bees had taken up residence in the room as well.

Yugi volunteered to go to the front desk to fetch the keycards while Mokuba, Yami and now Noa helped Seto up to the room. It was slow going, but at least they were moving forward. To avoid any passersby seeing what was going on, they took the back exit and used a staff elevator to get to the 8th floor. Thankfully, the room was close to the elevator, and Yugi was already there to greet them.

It felt like the last few yards were the hardest, but with a combination of loud encouragement and flat out dragging, they finally managed to get Seto through the small sitting room and into the bedroom, seating him on the closer of the two beds. Somehow realizing that he had arrived at whatever destination they'd been heading for, the brunette passed out again, taxed beyond even his impressive limits. Mokuba and Noa were left to keep him propped up while Yami swiftly stripped him down to his underwear. A little more teamwork, and Seto was properly curled up beneath the covers with his head on a fluffy pillow, breathing loudly.

"Thanks you guys," Yami told Noa and Mokuba and even Yugi, who had waited discretely by the door. He yawned, feeling the pull of Seto's sleeping mind on his own, his body continuing to feed Seto's thirst for energy. "I'll stay here with him. Go and have a good time at the party, 'kay?"

Mokuba blinked. "No way, I'm not leaving."

Noa stepped closer to his boyfriend, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Me neither."

"But it's your birthday party, Mokuba. And Seto would be disappointed if he knew you had missed it on his account," Yami reasoned as Mokuba frowned at him. Well, it was the truth.

"I'm not leaving," Mokuba repeated, eyes narrowed, jaw set in determination. "I can't go down there and pretend to be happy while Seto's up here, passed out!"

Yami didn't argue back. He figured Mokuba had made up his mind the moment they had walked out of the ballroom, and really, had he expected anything less?

From his vantage point, Yugi shook his head and smiled slightly at the scene. Mokuba was just as stubborn as his big brother. Well, he was a Kaiba, after all. "I'll pass the news on to everyone downstairs. It's been a hectic couple of days; they'll understand."

"Thanks," Mokuba said, and Yami threw in a nod as well.

Yugi returned the gesture, then as Yami tossed off his own shirt and began removing his various accessories, he asked him, _Are you going to be okay?_ It was clear what the crimson-eyed man was intending to do, and while he knew his other half well enough to realize that there'd be no talking him out of it, he couldn't help but be a little concerned for him as well since Seto was so depleted.

_Don't worry. He'll still have to sleep most of it off himself. But since I can help, I'm going to. He can yell at me once he's up and on his feet again,_ Yami replied, slightly amused at the thought. He would welcome Seto's wrath in this instance, since that would mean he was okay.

Yugi gave a mental chuckle. _All right. I'll come and check up on you guys later, okay?_ Then to Mokuba and Noa, who were quietly quibbling over whether or not they needed sleep as well, he said, "I'm gonna take off. The keycards are right here…" and he tossed four of them on the nightstand. "If you need anything, I'm in room 861, or just go bang on a random door, since it's just us staying in this area of the hotel. But I'll stop by a little later anyways, just to make sure everything's okay." He held up a fifth keycard.

Mokuba looked over, pausing for a moment to take in what Yugi had said. He figured they could take care of things themselves. But Yugi just wanted to help, and he WAS Yami's other half, so he really couldn't deny him the right to check in on them. So he consented, giving the violet-eyed duelist a nod.

Yugi hid a smile. He knew the black-haired teen well enough by now to know what he'd been thinking, but when it came to anything involving Seto, Mokuba was always going to be protective and cautious, a regular mother hen. He couldn't blame him though… he felt the same way about Yami. So with one last look at the quartet and a final goodbye, Yugi backed out of the room and exited the suite, quietly shutting the door behind him.

* * *

TBC

Author's Notes:  
- Major / notable changes from canon:  
1) This chapter covers the end of episode 198; well, chronologically, that's where it fits. But I pretty much made up everything from hereon out.  
- Re: The Endless Summer. This was originally the title for the whole arc, but I decided that having it as a chapter title was fine too. It's one of the best known (if not THE best known) 60's surf movies.  
- Thanks to nenya85 and mishikoshinsei for their advice on passing out. I mean, I've passed out before, but not due to sleep exhaustion : o  
- Oh dear… why did I decide it was a good idea for the kids to bond over WoW? Glossary time!

WoW / MMORPG Terminology:

1) Raid – grouping of multiple smaller parties of players (parties are groups of up to 5 people) for the purpose of killing stuff. Raids can technically be anything from 2 to 40 players, though generally they would be 5, 10, 20, 25 or 40 man  
2) Gkick – guildkick; to kick (remove) a player from the guild  
3) Main Tank – the character responsible for holding aggro on a monster, thus minimizing damage to other characters  
4) Berserker Stance - a combat mode for warriors that increases their critical strike rating at the cost of taking increased damage. Some warriors like to tank by doing as much damage as possible regardless of the fact that they'll die a lot faster... totally Seto, eh?  
5) Aggro – probably short for "aggression," but it just means that a monster is focusing on you as a target. Also called hate  
6) PuG – pickup group; a party or raid made up of people randomly picked up, as opposed to a guild raid. Also as a verb ("to pug"), to party or raid with non-guild members  
7) Roll – players roll a random number between 1 and 100 to decide who gets loot  
8) Tier 2 – High level dungeon raid armor sets are ranked by tiers. The higher the number, the better. Onyxia drops all the tier 2 helms, but only two per kill, and it's random which she will drop  
9) Vent – short for Ventrilo, which is a voice server so players can verbally communicate while playing  
10) Guild tag – the guild's name as it appears above your character's head, enabling other players to identify your guild affiliation easily  
11) Toon – another word for character, sprite, avatar  
12) Tell – a private message sent between players


	14. Ch 13: Crystal Eyes

Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! is the creation of Kazuki Takahashi. Crystal Eyes is a film by Yuri Farrant. "Eyes Like Twins" is performed and recorded by Wilson Phillips. This is a not-for-profit fanwork and I do not own any of these characters.

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**Summer of '69**

**Ch. 13: Crystal Eyes **

* * *

It started with a dull, fuzzy awareness of self and the slow realization that he was no longer floating in the realm of dreams, that he was in fact, awake. The bed was comfy though and the pillows soft, and the temperature just right thanks to the steadily humming air conditioner. It was very tempting to just go back to sleep. But something was missing… 

He rolled over, seeking his lover's warmth. But his searching fingers found nothing but cool bedsheets.

…_Seto?_

There was no response.

Suddenly awake, Yami sat up, rubbing at his eyes, blearily looking around the room. The blankets on the other side of the mattress were slightly wrinkled and had been folded back. There was another empty bed located beside his with equally wrinkled sheets, and on the nightstand between the beds, there was a note from Noa and Mokuba stating that they had gone to see off some of their guests. But that didn't explain Seto's absence…

Perplexed, Yami swung his legs off the bed and slowly stood up, pushing away the sleep induced fog in his brain before staggering towards the door, which had been left open a crack.

He took a step out, still feeling much more tired than he should have due to the waning aftereffects of his energy transfer to Seto, though the sight that greeted him in the sitting room was enough to shock him awake completely.

Blue Eyes White Dragons… FOUR of them…

"Four?" Yami's question seemed to echo across the room.

Seto looked up. He was sitting in an armchair, wearing an unbelted hotel robe that had slid down to reveal a pale shoulder. His hair was disheveled, his face gaunt; he should have stayed in bed. He needed the rest. But his blue eyes shone brightly, like pools of water in a desert oasis. Despite his depleted state, he had never looked more alive.

"Yes," Seto responded softly.

"How?…"

Seto looked down at the Duel Disk strapped to his arm. Ever since he had woken up a scant hour ago, he had felt an inexplicable need to see his dragons. And not just the three already present in his deck, but the fourth as well, even though he knew it wouldn't activate. Even in preview mode, the Duel Disk would reject it because it was too badly damaged to read. It was probably too fragile to even withstand being handled. But… he hadn't been able to resist trying it anyway.

It had taken him several minutes to convince himself to even open the case, but in the end, his desire to see that elusive final dragon had won out over his distaste in having to face what he had done to it.

His first glimpse of it had made him queasy. There was a line of tape, grown slightly cloudy with age, obscuring the tear down the center. Seeing it had reminded him of the sound the cardstock had made as it ripped and the way the two halves of the card had fluttered to the ground. But when he had finally fought down his nausea, he noticed a portion of the tape lifting up near the edge, and that little imperfection bothered him. He had begun to pick at it, almost without thinking, then had realized that he'd better take a closer look at it before he accidentally picked off all the tape holding it together.

Carefully, he had taken the card out of its protective case to examine it. Sugoroku hadn't done a bad job of fixing it, but the tape was becoming brittle and needed to be replaced. So long as he was careful, he figured he wouldn't do any further damage by removing a few flaking bits of tape. Scraping off a bit at a time, he had been surprised to see no obvious signs of damage where he knew the tear should've been. And there was no other adhesive on it as far as he could tell. He had even held it up to the light, studying it from every angle. Baffled, he had ended up peeling off every bit of tape to reveal a card that was as solid and whole as any other in his deck. It had even activated when he had placed it on the Duel Disk! In fact, the only thing that differentiated it from the other three BEWDs was that part of the tear could still be seen on the dragon's chest, though when he ran his fingertips over it, the card's surface felt completely smooth, as if the scar was worn by the dragon itself. And stranger still, the scar was also visible on the hologram born from that same dragon, even though he knew he hadn't programmed it in…

"Seto? How did you manage to fix it?"

The brunette blinked, then looked up. Yami was standing next to him now, looking down at the four cards lined up on the field. "I didn't. Your grandfather must've…"

Yami reached down towards the card, pausing until Seto nodded and gave him permission to touch it. He stroked a fingertip gently over the image of the great beast, letting it rest on the strange "scar" on the creature's chest. "But I know he didn't. I saw it before… he had taped it together. You could still see the tear clearly. There wasn't much else he could do."

"Cards don't just repair themselves, Yami. Or are you going to tell me it's magic?"

The former Pharaoh silently considered it. He looked up at the four holograms hovering before them, each announcing its presence in its own unique way. The first three he recognized from Seto's duel against Siegfried. But the fourth… even though it had once held part of Sugoroku's soul… even though Yami himself had called him forth with his Shadow Magic… it didn't truly have life until now. Though the expression on its face was serene, there was a fiery brilliance lighting up its eyes; and even though it flew so low beneath the other three that it was nearly scraping the ground, each beat of its wings remained confident and steady. For a moment, Yami almost wondered if it was in defense mode, but it wasn't… it was just_… at peace_… And yet the promise of power remained in every sleek muscle, every twist and turn of its body. It was almost like looking in a mirror and seeing Seto's reflection…

"I don't know why I bothered to make a unique graphic for the fourth one," Seto was saying, his eyes also fixed on the dragons in front of him. "I mean, I knew I'd never get to see it, and yet, there it is." He sighed, his eyes flickering to Yami for a moment. "This is real, right?"

Yami smiled, lifting his hand off the card to slowly run it up Seto's arm, tugging on the sleeve until the robe slid off his other shoulder as well. He massaged the exposed skin as he leaned over and kissed the shoulder closest to him. _You tell me. Does this feel real?_

Seto tilted his head back, allowing Yami's lips to leisurely make their way up his neck. _I… guess…_ Yami's breath felt warm as it flowed over his throat, his mouth, moist. His fingers dug into his shoulder, anchoring him in the moment. _But I don't remember how I got here…_

Yami pulled back for a second. He took the opportunity to brush locks of Seto's hair out of his eyes, then kissed him lightly. _You passed out, Baby,_ he told him, then he kissed him again, a little more passionately. _We were all worried about you. _

Seto frowned slightly. That explained why Yami had reinstated the energy link, though it hadn't done anything to help clear up his memory. He tried to remember if he had seen Siegfried leave. _Did…_

_He had already left. _Yami stroked his lover's face, dismayed at how sharply Seto's cheekbones stuck out. He gave a little sigh. _Seto, you really should be in bed,_ he told him gently as he began to undo the clasps that locked the Duel Disk onto the other's forearm. Feeling Seto's gaze still on the dragons behind him, he didn't turn it off, but he did work it off his arm, letting it come to rest across Seto's thighs.

The young CEO looked down at the Duel Disk in his lap. Then a slight smile creased his face. _Go get your Dark Magician card._

Yami felt a little giddy at the word "your." Well, it was his now, wasn't it? _All right._ He headed back to the bedroom, reemerging a minute later with the card in hand, feeling a strange sort of anticipation.

The taller duelist gestured at the Duel Disk with a weary flip of his hand. _Activate it._

Yami did as he asked, feeling a smile blossom on his face as the hologram of his loyal monster sprung up, standing on the same field as the four dragons. He never thought he'd see the day… But then a moment later, Yami gasped in astonishment. The Dark Magician was turning as if looking at the dragons, evaluating them. His crystalline eyes changed color, taking on a violet tint before being overrun with red… And then the purple robed mage drifted back until he was fearlessly standing amidst the quartet of mighty beasts, his left hand reaching up until it finally came to rest over the mark on the fourth Blue Eyes' chest, covering it… protecting it.

Feeling his throat go dry, Yami turned to look Seto, who just sat limply in his seat, breathing hard. He couldn't even think of anything to say. But Seto finally looked at him and said, _I was so busy. But I swear… I just knew I had to do this… redesign the graphics, I mean. I couldn't resist._

Yami sighed, wrapping an arm around Seto, letting his fingers play over his lover's shoulder blade where the tattoo lay. He had memorized every nuance of the Dark Magician and Blue Eyes White Dragon inked there, but to see them now before him, brought to life… nothing could compare to that. Seto was a wizard with technology. That was a type of magic. But there was even more magic within him than that.

_How can you not believe in magic when it's right before you?_ Yami asked, his left hand now resting on Seto's chest, right over his heart. He could feel it beating in time with the rise and fall of the fourth dragon's chest._ Your programming skills may have shaped them and given them form, but to have given them life, a part of your soul… you had to have sensed their spirits._

The ex-spirit half expected Seto to deny it, to argue with him as he always did, but for once the brunette was silent as he mulled over Yami's words. A minute passed, and then another.

_Magic, huh?_ Seto finally whispered, reaching down to caress his newest acquisition once again, shaking his head. Had the last Blue Eyes really forgiven him for what he had done?

_Of course it has…_

Seto nearly jumped; he hadn't expected a response. He'd been unaware that he had broadcast his last thought.

_He came when you called, didn't he? _Yami continued on to ask, his mental voice low and soft.

_Yeah… _Seto sighed, shutting his eyes. _But I keep thinking… this isn't real. Maybe by the time I open my eyes again, he won't be there. Or worse, he'll turn to rebuke me, and tear himself apart right in front of me…_

_Don't… _Yami began, but he suddenly was at a loss for words. He had hoped that the scar was a sign of a wound that had healed, but maybe he was wrong. Maybe the injury beneath was still raw and tender because Seto couldn't stop picking at it.

How hard it was to protect someone like Seto from himself, and yet… he would do his best. Even if Seto didn't want it. Even if it weren't really possible. Like the Dark Magician, he'd face even the fury of the dragon he had promised to protect, if that's what it took to guard his heart.

_You are harder on yourself than anyone, _Yami finally said sadly as he hugged Seto close, burying his face in soft brown hair. Seto didn't really respond at first, but after a long minute, he finally leaned slightly into his boyfriend's embrace. Yami's arms tightened around him even more. _This IS real. And your dragon has forgiven you. In your heart, you know that's true. So open your eyes, Seto._

Reluctantly, Seto did so, trusting in the conviction in Yami's voice. He was relieved to see all five holograms still floating before him, just an arm's length away. _They're beautiful, aren't they?_ he asked, his tone wistful as he stretched a hand out, as if he could touch them.

Crimson eyes regarded each individual dragon in turn. They were so different and unique, and yet… it was like looking at different facets of the same soul, the soul that belonged to the man in his arms. Of course they were beautiful. And so was Seto…

Words wouldn't suffice. He'd have to show him...

Seto slowly blinked at Yami as the shorter duelist cupped his chin in his hand, tilting it up to deliver a tender kiss. Their lips brushed by each other lightly at first, but when a soft whimper escaped from Seto, Yami pressed down a little more insistently, giving him all the warmth and assurance he had been seeking, assuring him once again that this was real. Seto leaned into him, eager for more, rocking back with an almost disappointed look on his face when they finally had to part to catch their breath.

Yami smiled at his lover's slightly flushed face and darkening eyes. He rose to his feet. "Come with me," he said, offering Seto a hand up.

The brunette considered it, then began to pluck cards off the Duel Disk field, starting with the Dark Magician, which he handed back to Yami. But before he had a chance to remove any of the dragons, Yami stopped him with a slight shake of his head. Curious, Seto settled for shifting the still active Duel Disk off his lap instead, carefully balancing it on the arm of the chair before taking Yami up on his offer.

Seto's untied robe began sliding down as he stood, causing him to stumble forward slightly. Yami caught him, but instead of steadying him, he used his momentum to guide them to the floor. They fell onto the rug directly beneath the dragons, Seto's robe pooling around them like a cloud.

"Beautiful…" Yami murmured as he touched Seto's cheek before leaning down to taste his lips again.

(lemon deleted for ffnet)

* * *

Noa and Mokuba arrived back at the hotel in the early afternoon, having seen off most of the duelists who had participated in the Grand Prix. Only Rebecca and Jou still remained behind. The two Kaibas knew they didn't _have_ to go – they could have just had some company representatives and drivers take care of it – but it felt like the proper thing to do. The responsible thing. And considering how out of it Seto was the previous day, it was unlikely that he'd awaken anytime soon anyway, so there was really no reason to sit around and watch him sleep when that was all he really needed. Besides, _IF_ on the off chance anything did happen, Yugi was just a few doors away and keeping an eye on things via Yami. And he had promised to call the younger Kaibas if anything did come up. 

Mokuba slid the keycard into the lock, taking care to open the door as quietly as possible so that there'd be no chance of him waking his big brother accidentally. But before he even managed to get two steps into the room, he stumbled to a stop, looking up in awe.

"Am I seeing things?" he whispered, eyes wide. He blinked, then counted them again. "I swear I'm seeing four Blue Eyes…"

"Then we must both be hallucinating, 'cause I see four as well," Noa slowly replied as he joined his boyfriend, though he knew it really shouldn't be possible. He hadn't ever seen the fourth Blue Eyes before, but he knew enough of the story behind it to know that the card shouldn't have been playable. But obviously, it had to be… because there it was, right in front of them.

At about the same moment that Noa spotted the activated Duel Disk on the armchair, Mokuba caught sight of Seto and Yami beneath the flapping wings of the dragons, naked and asleep on the floor between the sofa and the round padded ottoman. "Uh…"

Noa followed his boyfriend's gaze, quirking an eyebrow at the sight. "Nice to see that not even exhaustion gets between Seto and sex."

Mokuba looked back up at the dragons, then shook his head. "Or an audience."

"Having an audience turns him on, you know that," the green-haired teen said, grinning wickedly.

"Gross," Mokuba muttered automatically while considering the situation. Part of him wanted to wake the pair and herd them back into bed, which undoubtedly would be more comfortable than staying on the floor, while another part of him wanted to leave well enough alone. Seto had to be pretty deeply asleep, if their voices and the occasional rumbling chorus of his dragons weren't bothering him. "Think they'll be okay out here, if we bring out some blankets?"

The room was a bit on the chilly side due to the powerful air conditioning, but it wasn't intolerable, and the carpet beneath their feet was fairly plush and insulating. Plus, there was always body heat. "Yeah. Let's just do that then."

After the two teens finished fetching a blanket from the bedroom and laying it down over the sleeping couple, Noa walked over to Seto's Duel Disk to examine the cards on it. Indeed, there were four BEWD cards set on the field, nearly indistinguishable from one another save the last one in the line, which bore a small mark on its chest. "Is this the fourth dragon? I had thought… the damage would've been worse."

"Nii-sama ripped it in half; I know he did," Mokuba commented from behind Noa's shoulder, but he sounded uncertain. Other than the little tear in the middle of it, the card was undamaged. Had Sugoroku somehow repaired it? Or perhaps Yami had done something to it with his Shadow Magic…

"I guess it got fixed, one way or another," Noa said quietly. "Doesn't really matter how, right?"

Mokuba gave a slight shrug. He was curious about it, but with Seto still asleep, he'd have to live with the lack of an answer for the moment. "I guess..."

"Mm. So, should we turn off the Duel Disk?" Noa asked, seeing that Yami's Dark Magician was sitting on the coffee table. It looked as though they were in the process of deactivating the device when they decided that sex was a more pressing matter. How typical of them.

Mokuba looked at the proud creatures flying around them, then spared another glance at his big brother. He looked so peaceful, lying there with Yami in his arms and his dragons at his side. Sure, the holograms were a bit noisy with their sound effects, but Mokuba was certain that Seto would sleep a lot better in the presence of his beloved beasts than in the silence left by their absence. "Nah, it's pretty cool, seeing them like this. And they haven't woken him yet."

Noa tilted his head back and smiled. "Yeah, they are pretty cool." Then he paused briefly, and with unusual tenderness, added, "I know they're Seto's dragons, but… they kinda remind me the four of us in a way, don't you think? They're each a little different… like each has its own strengths, its own personality… but it feels right to see them all flying together. Like this is how they were meant to be."

"Like… how we're meant to be," Mokuba whispered, swallowing hard. He had never thought of it like that, but it was true, wasn't it? He liked the idea though, that there was a bit of him in the dragons Seto had created, or maybe a bit of dragon in him. Or maybe both… "A family of dragons."

"Mm." The older teen nodded. He liked the sound of that too.

Mokuba finally returned Noa's smile with a grateful one of his own, then he took his boyfriend's hand and led him to the sofa, urging him to sit down beside him, thankful for his warm presence as well as his insight. Then, just like dragons guarding a treasure, they curled up together alongside the Blue Eyes to watch over Seto and Yami as they slept, safe and sound beneath the canopy of dragons' wings.

* * *

OWARI 

Author's Notes:  
- Major / notable changes from canon:  
1) This chapter covers the end of episode 198; well, chronologically, that's where it fits. But I pretty much made up everything from hereon out.  
- Re: a family of dragons. Contrary to what Mokuba and Noa said, the way I depicted the dragons wasn't meant to represent Seto, Yami, Mokuba and Noa, but I don't think the boys are completely off-track either. I mean, I don't think Seto consciously decided that the dragons would represent his past or his future, or his thoughts on Mokuba or Yami… I think he'd go with what felt right to him and not necessarily consider the source of his inspiration. So yeah, there's probably a piece of them in Seto's holographic representations of the dragons, but there's much more to it than that.  
- Re: the four BEWDs. Dragons, 'tis the theme of this chapter : ) To partially recap from my LJ, this is what the dragons symbolize to me (but feel free to come to your own conclusions... I meant for this to be open to each person's interpretation):  
1) The playful dragon was physically modeled after Kuriboh the attack pony. But beyond that, I equate Kuriboh with Mokuba. So I had Seto do the same, subconsciously. This dragon also represents a sort of child-like quality which again, ties in with how Seto sees Mokuba.  
2) The bellowing dragon was modeled after how I imagined Seto would see his past. And physically, this one would look most like the ones in the anime, just bigger and more fierce. I wanted something to show Seto's determination in standing up to Gozaburo. So this dragon is a representation of the indomitable warrior's spirit that will always be a part of him.  
3) The soaring dragon was physically modeled after (and this is a nod to Nenya85) after the tattoo Seto sported in Nenya's fic "It's Deja Vu All Over Again." To quote: _"Rising out of the wreckage, his Blue Eyes White Dragon, glistening silver within its navy outline, took flight... For the dragon was not soaring triumphantly, but embarking on a quest…"_ I liked the idea of having a dragon representing Seto striving to reach his future, which is further emphasized by having this dragon rising above the dragon that represents his past.  
4) And finally, the fourth dragon was modeled after the tattoo Seto carries on his back. It represents Seto's acceptance of himself (inner peace… ooo, so zen-like) as well as Yami's love for him (which is why the Dark Magician's hologram responded to it). As for the scar, hubby and I went back and forth on whether the card should be completely repaired or not. I think (and I don't really remember… it was 2 AM) I was originally going to completely fix it, so it would be undamaged (thus showing that Seto had been forgiven for his past actions). But I also liked the idea of it bearing a physical reminder that even though it had finally come home to Seto, that it would still have its war wounds. But instead of a glaring reminder of everything that went wrong in the past, I see it as a symbol of Seto's survival, that even though Yami had shattered his heart, he did rebuild it, emerging stronger than ever.  
- Much gratitude to Nenya for betaing and idea bouncing and putting up with my "Ehn… I'm stuck!" whines, and to hubby for coming up with the entire idea around the depiction of the fourth Blue Eyes. And also, thanks to everyone who stayed with me through this arc and left reviews. I always appreciate it.  
- Originally, this was going to be the epilogue, but since it fit right in with the course of the story... there was no reason for an epilogue. That said, there's going to be a... mini arc -- following right after this one (even though I said the next one would be the last, I lied). It was too long to do as an epilogue even though that's its purpose, so I figured it was best to call it a mini arc instead : p


End file.
